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starksweasley · 4 years

Text

protect you

pairing: jj maybank x fem!reader, john b x sibling!reader, pogues x platonic!reader

summary: jj gets hurt and you can’t stand to see your favorite boy in pain, so you decide to do something about it.

warning: angst, fluff, some violence, swearing

word count: 2.2k+

It was an unusually quiet night on the banks. You were nestled between Kie and Pope with your head on the boy’s lap and your feet on the girl’s. The three of you had anxiously been waiting for John B and JJ to return from night surfing. Your brother had promised they’d be back in time for dinner at 8. You snuck a glance at Pope’s watch; it was 9:53.

Your eyes fluttered closed and your hands hastily ran through your hair, something you did when you were nervous. Kie and Pope exchanged timid glances, well versed on your habit. “Y/N, I’m sure they’re fine,” Kiara whispered, but it seemed like she was assuring herself more than she was calming you down.

You nodded but continued to rake your fingers through your now tangled hair. Pope let out a sigh and grabbed your wrist, causing your eyes to shoot open and land on his gaze. “You’re driving me mad, woman!” He exclaimed jokingly.

A small smile wedged its way onto your lips but it instantly vanished when two stumbling figures appeared in your peripheral vision. You scrambled out of Pope’s hold, ignoring the grunt that resulted from you elbowing his stomach in the process. “John B?”

Your brother was making his way across the sand with JJ’s arm wrapped tightly over his shoulders. The blonde-haired boy looked close to unconsciousness and John B was struggling to support his weight.

“What the hell?” You immediately ran to the pair, Kie and Pope hot on your heels. As you got closer, you noticed splotches of red painting JJ’s face and neck. “Oh my god, what the fuck happened?” You cried. JJ looked worse up close. Bruises covered his face, some purple and others still red. Blood had dripped down his features to his neck, completely soaking his grey tank. One of his eyes was swollen shut and the other was struggling to stay open.

“It was Rafe and the other Kooks,” John B seethed. You looked over at him and noticed a small cut on the side of his face. Fatigue was oozing off of him in waves and he stumbled into your embrace once Pope and Kiara started helping JJ walk towards the house. Your arms wrapped around your older brother’s neck and you lulled him to calm down. “You know better than to get in a fight with those assholes John B,” you quietly scolded. “Even if they start it, you have to ignore them. If you get arrested for assault, we don’t have the money for bail- we don’t have anything left.” Your voice cracked at the end and John B felt a pang of guilt pierce his heart.

“Hey-look at me, Y/N.” He tilted your head up until you could see his face. “You still have me. You’ll always have me, understand?”

You quietly nodded and cleared your throat. “JJ, he-he looks so bad.” The tears sprung back and you had to force down a sob from escaping your throat. Your favorite boy’s mangled face popped back into your head and you felt an unexplainable rage fill your body. “What the hell happened?”

“Rafe showed up to our end of the beach with Topper and Kelce, don’t ask me why. But they saw us and started saying things.” John B nervously scratched the back of his head. “They, uh, they said something about you and JJ completely lost his shit. He jumped on Rafe before I could even react. I tried pulling him off but Topper and Kelce got involved and it was three of them against two of us. By the time I got to JJ, he was passed out on the ground.”

Your fists clenched and red seeped into your vision at John B’s words. You knew about JJ’s relationship with his father. The others hadn’t found out yet but he had gotten drunk with you one night and spilled his secrets amidst his tears. You had pulled his head into your chest and whispered sweet words into his ear until he had fallen asleep on top of you. After that, you two never talked about what he had told you, but you always made sure to keep an extra eye on him. JJ was strong, but he shouldn’t have to be. He had gotten enough beatings to last a lifetime; he didn’t deserve any more.

“I swear to God, Y/N, the next time I see them they’ll get what they deserve,” John B muttered. You looked up from the sand and saw that you had reached the Chateau. “Go inside, John B. I’ll be back in a bit.” You shoved John B inside the house and shut the screen door.

“Wait, Y/N-where are you going?” Pope poked his head out from behind the door and Kie followed, leading John B to a chair so she could clean his cut.

You ignored your friend’s question and hopped on your bike, your knuckles white from the tight grip you held on the handlebars. “Just go inside! I’ll be back.”

You hadn’t touched a bottle of beer all night, but your mind was buzzing. Your legs fiercely pedaled your bike as you navigated the muddy roads. You were so consumed with rage that you didn’t even realize where you were going until you skidded to a stop in front of the Cameron house.

You hastily dismantled your worn down bike and half ran, half stumbled through the freshly-mowed law. Laughter floated through the air and you instinctively followed the sound. You rounded a corner and turned right into the backyard. You could make out the back of Topper’s head and noticed that he was playing cards near the pool with Rafe and Kelce. Your vision only blurred further when you noticed that none of them had nothing more than a scratch on them.

“Hey, Cameron!” You called out, causing all three boys to whip around. A smirk tugged at Rafe’s lips when he noticed your advancing figure. “Y/N Routledge, didn’t think you’d ever come here, darling,” he replied smugly but his words flew right over your head. You couldn’t spit out a comprehensible thought before your fist violently collided with the Cameron boy’s jaw.

“Agh!” Choruses of grunts and exclamations filled the air as you clutched your fist in pain and Rafe tumbled to the ground. Kelce immediately moved to help up his friend while Topper menacingly stepped towards you, but you weren’t afraid of him. You weren’t afraid of any of them. The anger that was coursing through you overwhelmed every shred of rationality and you forcefully stepped towards Topper, causing him to stumble back in surprise.

“You bitch!” Rafe was back on his feet and he made to lunge at you but Topper stepped in front of him. “She’s not worth it man.’

You didn’t know what came over you but a smirk decorated your lips as you abruptly spun on your heel and made your way back to your bike. The ride home felt longer than the ride there due to the throbbing pain on your knuckles but it didn’t bother you. Not much, anyways. Before you knew it, you were dumping your bike in its spot at the head of the Chateau and bounding in through the screen door. John B was the first to see you.

“Where’d you go?” His eyes slowly made his way down your body until they landed on your hand. “What the fuck, Y/N!” Your brother was instantly at your side, gently holding your fist up to assess the damage. His dark eyes scanned your split knuckles and a switch went off in his brain. “Did you get into a fight?”

You gently pulled your wrist away from your brother’s grasp and avoided making eye contact with Kiara and Pope who stood anxiously in the corner of the room. “I wouldn’t really call it a fight, maybe a confrontation,” you murmured. John B’s eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared under his unkempt hair.

“A what? Y/N, not even an hour ago you were scolding me for getting in a fight. How could you put yourself in that situation?” He rambled but you weren’t having any of it. Your hands flew through your hair for the second time that night.

“John B, you may be my older brother but you’re not my dad. You don’t get to lecture me for defending my friend.” The words echoed in the quiet room as you struggled to maintain eye contact with your brother. Without another word, you headed into your room where you knew JJ would be resting. He always claimed your blankets were the softest in the house but he knew he just liked the way they smelled like you-not that he’d ever tell you that, of course.

You tried to open the door slowly so as to not make any noise but you failed miserably. The loud creak of the hinges caused JJ to bolt up from his position on your bed. The two of you stood frozen, observing each other’s expressions. His face was considerably less bloody (you assumed Kie had wiped all of the blood off) and the swelling in his eyes had gone down. JJ was wearing a fresh tank but the tiredness of the night was plastered all over his face. Something pierced you in the chest when you noticed the broken state of the boy in front of you.

“Y/N?” JJ’s lips trembled and that was all it took for you to rush to his side. Before you noticed what you were doing, your body had slid under the covers in the empty spot next to the golden-haired boy. His body moved towards yours as if on habit and he tangled his legs with yours. Your figures molded together and for just a little while, it felt like that’s how it was always meant to be.

The both of you laid silently for several moments, your faces so close you could feel his breath on yours. You wanted to look into his ocean eyes but he kept his gaze cast downwards, too focused on tracing patterns into the bare skin of your arm. Your uninjured hand came up to gently cup his bruised cheek. “J?”

He perked up at the name only you called him. When his eyes finally met yours, you had to resist the urge to gasp. No matter how many times you observed them, you could never get used to the striking nature of his eyes. One look at them, and you instantly knew every feeling that was running through his veins. “Why’d you do it?” You quietly asked.

Suddenly, JJ’s eyes were everywhere but on yours. “They were talking about you, Y/N. Talking about how they’d fuck you on the beach if they had the chance.” His words were coming out louder and louder and you knew he was close to bursting. “I just-I couldn’t help myself! They don’t ever get to think about you like that. Not ever.”

“Hey, look at me,” you whispered. When he didn’t comply, you placed your other hand on his face as well. You lightly turned his face until he was looking at you again.

“You didn’t have to do that for me, J. I can protect myself, but I love you.”

JJ rolled his eyes. “I know, idiot. I love you too.”

But you shook your head a little too fast. “No, J. I love you. I’m in love with you.”

The boy’s lips popped open into an “o” shape, something you would have laughed at if you hadn’t been so terrified of his response. Both of you remained in silence for what felt like days and you were about to pull away from JJ’s warmth when his lips finally stretched into a beautiful grin. “God damn it, Y/N. I’m in love with you too.”

This time a gasp really did escape your lips when you looked into his eyes. “Really?” You breathed out.

JJ rolled his eyes again, something you noticed he did quite often. His hands flew up to cover yours on his cheeks. You winced, very slightly, when his palm made contact with your torn knuckles, but he noticed. His face immediately scrunched up in concern. “What’s wrong?” He murmured.

You shook your head but JJ wasn’t having any of it. He pried your hands off his face and observed them, sharply inhaling when he noticed the bruises. “Did you-did you punch someone?” He questioned, all too familiar with the marks.

You simply shrugged, trying to play it off nonchalantly. “It was just Rafe. And he deserved it.”

You expected JJ to scold you the way your brother had but were thoroughly surprised when he let out a boisterous laugh. There was no time to process your shock before the boy had wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling your body into his. “You’re fucking stupid, you know that?” He mumbled into your hair.

“This coming from you!” Your tone was condescending but you smiled into his neck. JJ’s arms tightened around you, and you couldn’t help but let out a sigh. It was perfect. All of it was just perfect. The blonde’s lips wandered over your head, finally pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“I’ll always protect you,” he whispered into your skin.

It was your turn to roll your eyes. “All I need is for you to protect yourself, J.”

JJ chuckled at your words. “Not gonna happen.”

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themadlostgirl · 4 years

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When It’s Cold (3)

*It’s the mutual pining for me*

~~~

A few weeks had passed of Felix and I living together and trying to find our way back to Neverland. So far all our ideas and plans lead to nothing and I was starting to get disheartened. It felt like we were never going to get back to Neverland at this rate.

Life in the mansion was pretty nice though. We were a little worried during the first week, paranoid that someone was going to return and throw us out into the cold but no one even came near the house. I was starting to wonder if anyone besides us even knew it was here.

Over the course of our stay I learned how to do laundry and bought a bike so I could get to and from town quicker. Felix and I had discussed stealing a car but seeing as how neither of us knew how to drive and stealing a car would put us under investigation we didn’t. Felix on the other hand turned out to be quite adept at cooking. He found a recipe book in one of the drawers of the kitchen and seemed to enjoy figuring out how to make certain dishes. Aside from a few burned casseroles and a very unfortunate miscommunication involving spaghetti he was doing really well. Almost every evening he had some new dish ready for dinner. I started baking again so we always had warm brownies or chocolate chip cookies in the house.

Life was good. When we weren’t looking into ways back to Neverland we were lounging around the house. We found a record player in one of the rooms and played it when it was too quiet. A few times I had caught Felix dancing around the kitchen while cooking dinner at which point he immediately stopped and pretended he wasn’t. It made him a whole lot less intimidating seeing that he was secretly a bit of a dork underneath the hard exterior.

I think that was the best part of being stuck here together. We were learning more about each other. Felix was really closed off from conversations at first but after a few days his tongue loosened up. I learned that he got the scar on his face as a result of an incident before he came to Neverland though he couldn’t remember what exactly. He preferred sweet over salty and loved chocolate covered pretzels. On Neverland he used to collect sand dollars until the other boys found his collection and smashed them all. It was nice learning these little things about him. It made me feel like we were closer.

When the idle days became too much to bear we turned to sparring to keep the boredom away. We turned the ballroom into a sparring arena so we wouldn’t lose our edge. So far we’ve only broken one vase!

One such day we were in the ballroom again fighting and I had finally got a leg up on Felix and pinned him to the ground. “Gotcha!” We were both breathing hard and I was sat right on top of him with my arms pinning his wrists against the floor. I froze as the position we were in rocketed into my mind. Felix took the moment of hesitation to break free from my hold and rolled us over so I was pinned under him. I could have argued that this position was even worse.

I swear I tried not to stare at his lips. I really did but one quick flicker down his face and I couldn’t stop looking no matter how many times I forced my eyes to look back up at his eyes.

He let me go when he saw I had completely checked out of the fight and left, leaving me reeling on the floor as to what just happened.

For as friendly as things between Felix and I got there was a problem running parallel to it. I had hoped that the last of my dirty thoughts and weird feelings for Felix would have gone away after that first day but it seemed to be having the opposite effect. The closer Felix and I got as friends the more I was pining after him and it was torture!

At some point I stopped trying to deny my body the release it craved when my mind created lewd fantasies of Felix. There was nothing wrong if it was all in my head. No one would have to know and our relationship as roommates, partners, and friends would be untarnished.

I had everything under control. That is until the night the electric went out.

There had been a huge snow storm and it knocked out power to the whole town. Huddled under a bunch of blankets and thick warm layers of clothes helped keep out any chill but it didn’t keep me warm enough. I had left the warmth of my room to start a fire in the fireplace and noticed that it was already lit. Felix was sitting in front of it with a blanket wrapped around him.

“Cold got to you too?” I asked as I sat down next to him.

“Didn’t realize how much I hated being cold until the heat turned off.” He sighed.

We sat in companionable silence for a while, listening to the fire crackle.

“Felix,” I finally said, “Do you think we’re ever gonna find a way out of here and back to Neverland? It’s been over a month and we haven’t made any headway.”

“I know.” Felix turned to look at me, “It gets a little harder everyday to keep up the flimsy hope that we’ll get back home.”

“I’m sorry I made come here.” I told him, “You would be back on Neverland without a worry in the world if I hadn’t asked you to come with me.”

“My decisions are my own. No use blaming yourself for them.” Felix ruffled my hair, the only form of affection he willingly showed.

“So why then?” I asked, “Why did you come to Storybrooke with me?”

“Why did you ask me to come?” He countered.

I took a deep breath. This same old impasse. He wouldn’t answer me unless I answered him first.

“I wanted to have someone I knew I could rely on.” I answered, “The boys that left on the ship with the adults couldn’t be relied on. They wanted families and lives away from Neverland. They wouldn’t help me get revenge for what those bastards did to Pan. But you were always loyal and I knew that you would help me if it meant avenging him.”

“You could have asked any of the other boys that chose to stay. They were also loyal. Why not ask one of them? Or was it that you had and I turned out to be the only one who said yes?” Felix said, drawing the blanket in closer around him.

“I didn’t ask anyone else. I asked you because I knew you were the only one I could trust. The only one I wanted to come with me.”

This caught Felix’s attention. He opened and closed his mouth as if searching for something to say but came up short.

“So now you have to answer my question.” I turned towards him fully, “Why did you come with me?”

His mouth snapped shut and he looked away from me. I feared he may leave without giving me an answer but he stayed seated. An internal war dueling inside his mind as he mulled over what to tell me.

Finally he exhaled and searched my eyes. There was something softer about the way he gazed at me that had me holding my breath. When he spoke it was barely a whisper and had me leaning closer to hear.

“I came with you because...because I…” He swallowed, “I came with you because I didn’t want to be on Neverland without you. We never hung out but I was never ignorant of you. You brought so much life to those around you and I...”

“Felix,” I exhaled. I reached to touch him but he pulled away just as I did. He started to stand up but I grabbed the blanket around him halting his actions.

Felix stared down at me, eyes wide and panicked. He looked like a rabbit caught in a trap.

“Please don’t go!” I blurted out. “You don’t have to run from me.”

“What makes you think I’m running?” He asked, his voice low.

“What else would you call this?” I stood up as well. “It’s just us here, Felix. No one else can hear or see what we do. You don’t need to act tough and stoic for the sake of your reputation. I’ve already seen you dance around the kitchen while cooking soup. I think the masks can come off now.”

“I’m not wearing a mask, little girl.” He spat.

“Keep telling yourself that.” I turned to leave. Why had I said anything? I completely ruined any and all progress we had been making up to this point. If I thought he might have been distant before he was sure to keep away from me now. Stupid feelings and hormones making me say things I shouldn’t be saying!

“Wait!” Felix caught me at the staircase. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with this anymore and it must have been evident in my eyes as he turned me around to look at him. “Just wait a moment.”

“Felix, I’m tired in more ways than one. Just let me go.” I tried to shrug his arms off me.

“Please,” The word bled from his lips. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Felix say please in my life. “Please just give me a moment.”

“A moment for what?”

“To think.”

“Think of what?” I demanded. “Whatever it is you want to say just say it.”

“I--I--” He stammered. “Damn it,” he hissed before slamming his lips to mine.

The sheer force of the kiss nearly knocked me backwards. The ferocity of which he kissed me was hungry and passionate. Like he was drowning and looking for air. The blanket around me dropped to the floor as I clung onto him to keep balanced. My lips moved against his with similar excitement. My heart was hammering so loud in my chest it was all I could hear.

When the need for air became too much we pulled back. Felix rested his head against mine. Eyes screwed shut. I was still trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened when he cursed under his breath and shot past me on the stairs. The sound of a door slamming shut broke me out of my haze.

Felix kissed me.

Not a quick kiss either.

Felix kissed me like I had been dreaming about for the past several weeks. I tentatively touched my lips, savoring the memory of the way his mouth felt against mine. I quickly doused the fire in the living room and rushed up the stairs. I hovered outside of Felix’s door trying to find the courage to knock.

“I know you’re out there,” Felix’s muffled voice came from within startling me. “I suggest you save whatever you have to say and take it with you back to your own room.”

“Felix,” I sighed, “I think we need to talk about what happened on the stairs.”

“Forget about it.” He snapped, “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“I think you do. I think you know exactly what you were doing and that scares you more than if you were just reacting out of hormones.” I snapped back. “So how about you stop running and hiding from me and give me a straight answer for once!”

“I said to go away!”

“Fine!” I shouted, banging my fist against the door, “But you should know that I didn’t mind it at all you insufferable ass! I actually quite enjoyed it but, of course, you don’t care about that. Goodnight Felix.”

I stormed off back to my room and slammed the door shut behind me. I rolled into bed but sleep did not come easily. My feelings before were only more confused now after Felix had kissed me. How could he just kiss me after saying something unexpectedly sweet and then abandon me without a single word of explanation?

How is it even possible to like someone you hate so much?

~~~

Felix is a fucking idiot.

That’s it. That’s all it was. He was an idiot and he had proven that more than well enough tonight when he kissed you. Oh god above he actually broke and kissed you. He told you why he had been so willing to follow you away from Neverland and then he kissed you.

In the moment he couldn’t get the words he knew he owed you out. They were there scrambled in his brain but unable to get past his tongue. So he put his mouth to a better use.

He nearly moaned when he got a taste of you. Your breath was minty. Your lips so soft against his. He hadn’t meant to get so lost in it. But he finally had you in his arms and he didn’t want to let the sensation go.

Then you were kissing him back. Your hands tangled in his hair pulling him closer. Urging him on as he pressed your bodies together. He could have gone on forever kissing you if reality and common sense hadn’t come back to him in the moment you both were catching your breath.

He was supposed to be finding a way back to Neverland, not making out with you! But it felt so good to kiss you. You had been so perfect and warm in his arms. Thoughts of picking you up carrying you back to his room had entered his mind but were just as quickly dashed away. He couldn’t afford to be distracted. Not even by you.

You came pounding on his door yelling at him about his rude treatment towards you. Screaming about how you enjoyed the kiss as well. That almost had him running to unlock the door but the sound of your door slamming down the hall left him sat on the floor in frustration. How could he fix this? Was there anyway that he could? Would you even want anything to do with him after tonight?

Your words came back to him in that moment of contemplation. “It’s just us here, Felix. No one else can hear or see what we do.”

You were right. Of course you were right. No one else’s opinions mattered. There was no reputation to protect or people to disappoint here. He was not here for anyone to gossip about around a bonfire. It was just the two of you in this big mansion alone. There was no need to be embarrassed.

If only he had come to that realization before he shut you out for good.

There was one thing he could do to make this right. It could also backfire on him horribly but he’d rather try and fail then lose you forever because of one careless night. He would need electricity to do it but hopefully it would be back on in the morning. Restless but determined Felix crawled into bed. Plans of how to fix this mess so he could have your soft lips on his again dancing in his head.

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#felix imagine #felix x reader #ouat felix #ouat #neverland #peter pan ouat #roommate au

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blvejeanbaby · 4 years

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The Beach | Kang Yeosang

Pairing: Yeosang x Y/N Word count: 3.5k Warning: smutty/suggestive, teasing, curse words, no actual sex though

“Okay, so we need teams-“ Hongjoong started, but before he was finished, you wrapped your arms around the waist of the boy next to you. Despite the minuscule height difference, it was enough to comfortably allow you to rest your head on his shoulder for maximum effect. You were well aware of the tensing of his entire body. “I want to go with Yeosang,” you said, sounding proud of it too. You refused to look at Yeosang, knowing he would be beet red by now, highly flustered from your sudden boldness. Instead, you stared at Hongjoong, who was regarding you with his mouth agape. You had obviously surprised him as well. He shook out of it however, allowing you to actually team up with Yeosang on the game of beach volleyball. You sucked and so did Yeosang, but luckily Jongho had a lot of strength but very little aim. It was easy to win against him and Mingi, who just stood giggling at how bad the three of you were, and easy to lose against Wooyoung and Seonghwa, who were playing together as if this was the Olympics. You were glad to not advance to the finale, opting to accompany Yeosang on his beach towel though. You watched as he helped himself to more sunscreen. “Do you need some help with that?” you asked, gesturing toward the bottle of sunscreen. “For your back, maybe?” Yeosang nodded and handed you the bottle wordlessly, laying down on his stomach. You applied the sunscreen to your hands before rubbing them together and putting them on Yeosang’s back. You actually wanted to do a good job, making sure that all of the sunscreen was rubbed in well. You may have also added a little bit of extra pressure just to feel his muscles beneath your fingers. “All finished,” you said, causing Yeosang to sit up on his knees. Whereas you had expected some redness on his cheeks, there was just a hint of a flush on his cheekbones and a mischievous smirk playing along his lips. Suddenly feeling less bold underneath his intense gaze, you felt yourself shrink a little. “What?” “Let me return the favour.” You looked at him suspiciously for a second before handing him the bottle of sunscreen and laying down on your stomach. You placed your head to the side so you wouldn’t smash your face into the ground, eyes gazing at Jongho, Yunho and Hongjoong next to you as they waited on Wooyoung, Seonghwa, San and Mingi (who played twice as you were just one short of an even number). You had caught Yunho stealing a curious glance at the two of you and you were hyperaware of the fact that there were onlookers. Yeosang actually went as far as to swing his one leg over your body, so he was straddling your upper thighs. You bit your lip to refrain a gasp from escaping, having not expected such an act from him. You heard him squirt some of the sunscreen onto his hands and waited to feel the cold of it on your back, but the furthest thing from that happened. Warm hands, a hot touch, dragging up your spine until it reached the strap of your bikini top. With a quick move, the clasp was undone. Instead of leaving it at that, Yeosang’s hand travelled further up to your neck and you had an inkling of what he was going to do now. Still biting your lip furiously, Yeosang moved your hair to the side before softly pulling apart the knot that kept your top from spilling out your boobs. “Good, now I can begin,” Yeosang said softly, mouth close enough to your ear for his words to be drowned out to others’ ears by excited screams and seagull and ocean sounds. Yeosang warmed up the sunscreen by rubbing his palms together before placing them on your back. You prayed to God he wouldn’t try to be bold and reveal all of what you were doing to the others, if they hadn’t noticed yet. God, this could be embarrassing. After he finished rubbing the sunscreen into your back, not really taking the massage approach like you had, he clasped your bra back and tied the knot at your neck again. You thanked the heavens for it as you felt him move off of you. You sat up, sending him a look that you were sure said everything. He just smirked at you. “Drink?” “Sure.” You started applying sunscreen to the rest of your body, ignoring the curious look Yunho was throwing your way. Of course he had noticed, you thought to yourself. Lord, you were going to absolutely strangle Yeosang! As you were overthinking all of the creative ways you could do so, he returned with the drinks from the cool box he had been off to get. Two cans, both the same. But from the glint in his eyes you knew this was not just your regular “there you go, your can of coke”. Yeosang sat down in front of you on the towel, a safe distance away from the sand. Because of your position on the towel, this meant he was sitting knee to knee with you, both of your legs folded up beneath yourselves. “Here’s your drink.” Perhaps you were wrong, you thought as you reached for the can. Perhaps what you had thought to see in his eyes was just him being proud of getting you half-naked in public. But no – as your hand closed around the can, he pulled, causing you to nearly topple over onto him. “I want some payment though.” “What now?” you said, but the tone at which you had meant to say it – playful, taunting? – was wholly different from the way you actually did. You sounded breathless and way too much as though this was all having a bigger effect on you than you wanted to let him think it had. “A kiss.” “Yeo, you’re ridiculous.” “And you’re thirsty.” The obvious double layer in his words made you want to hit him, but you didn’t. Instead you accepted defeat, quickly pressing your lips against his. The kiss may have lasted a total of one second, but Yeosang accepted it as payment, finally handing you the can. You were not surprised to find the two of you had missed San and Mingi winning and going up against Hongjoong and Yunho in the finals. Wooyoung and Seonghwa sat down on the towels Hongjoong and Yunho had vacated. Seonghwa reached over to grab a can of soda himself as Wooyoung leaned over to be more closer to you and Yeosang. “I think I saw a hotel on the way here from the parking lot. Perhaps you could get a room there.” The look you shot him as an answer was downright poisonous. Yeosang, instead, smiled at his best friend sweetly. “Just say you’re jealous and go.” He turned slightly, reaching out to run his thumb along your bottom lip. “Because I have the prettiest girl on the beach all to myself.” You felt your cheeks heat up. Fuck, the things this guy did to you… The soft touch to your lip shot straight to your core, the way his previous ministrations with your bikini top hadn’t. Triumphantly, Yeosang turned back to watch the volleyball game in front of you. Wooyoung looked at you. “Do you need to cool off a little?” “Please.” You stood up, letting your ice cold can of soda rub against Yeosang’s heated skin – a shiver was the result – before thrusting the can into his hand. “Can you hold onto this while I’m gone, baby?” He looked up, his blond hair falling away from his face so you could see the hint of red on his cheeks. Good to see pet names still worked to fluster him. Wooyoung grinned all the way to the shoreline and started actually laughing, out loud, as he got into the water. You followed him into the water, letting it cool you off literally and metaphorically. Just the thought of Yeosang right now was enough to get you going – you couldn’t return to that beach and act teasingly around him when you were in a state like this. “You know you two aren’t being shy about it and everyone totally knows what’s happening, right?” Wooyoung said when his laughter died down. “Ugh, I saw Yunho staring at us,” you said, floating on your back in the water, the only thing making sure you weren’t floating off with the current was your hand on Wooyoung’s elbow. “It’s just unfair! I’m supposed to make him flustered, not the other way around! Yeosang, I mean,” you added unnecessarily. Wooyoung chuckled. “You know, I was thinking about that. Role reversal and stuff.” He looked at you then. “When me and my girlfriend try it, she usually acts like she doesn’t want it. She says it’s the way I act-“ “We all know that’s not true,” you chuckled. “Right?” He didn’t even care to disagree. “Anyway, it gets her exactly what she wants because then I’m all riled up and she’s just acting like nothing happened. It’s really frustrating and has a really happy ending.” You stood up, feeling the wet sand slip between your toes as your feet hit the bottom of the ocean. “You know, if I weren’t absolutely infatuated with Yeosang, I would’ve kissed you right now. You just gave me the best idea!” You let go of Wooyoung’s elbow in order to start swimming back to shore. “Come on, let’s go.” “Why are you swimming when you can just walk?” Wooyoung complained. “I need to make it look convincing!” When you got back on the sand, you turned back around at Wooyoung, making a show of raising your arms high above your head, as if you were celebrating. “Race you back!” you said and before waiting on an answer from Wooyoung, you started running back up the sand to the place you and the boys set up. With the head start you had on him, it was a given you won from Wooyoung, still celebrating as he came back. “Who’s a sucker now, huh?” “You’re normally all talk and no bite,” Wooyoung said, seemingly getting what you were playing at and helping you out. He sat down on the towel to dry off and you plopped down next to Yeosang. His hand was already making its way up your leg, up to your thigh, leaving behind a trail of sticky sand, but your attention was not on him. Instead, you looked at Mingi. He was a big teddy bear and before this thing with Yeosang happened, you were very physically close with Mingi. There was never any actual attraction between you two, but you liked cuddling him and holding his hand. Once it had been second nature to distribute that behaviour toward Mingi, now it was to distribute that toward Yeosang. But for the purpose of today’s little game, you gravitated back towards Mingi. “So who won the finale?” “San and I did, of course,” Mingi said, with the air of someone who was used to winning all games. “I expected nothing else.” You stuck out your tongue at Yunho, who immediately turned around from talking to his hyungs to complain. He also immediately, upon seeing your hand on Mingi’s upper thigh and your chin rested on his shoulder, raised his eyebrows at you. You just snuggled closer to Mingi, feeling Yeosang’s hand slide off of your thigh. Yunho’s eyes shot toward the boy but raised his hands in defeat and turned around to rejoin the conversation between Hongjoong and Seonghwa again. Mingi easily slipped back into your usual routine and soon enough his arm was slung around your shoulders. You knew that from an outsiders’ perspective, you probably looked like Mingi’s girlfriend right now. You didn’t bother looking at Yeosang, knowing it would rile him up even more. This was a little ways outside of the games you usually played with him, but you were sure it was nothing he couldn’t handle. Until perhaps it was. You turned in Mingi’s hold to grab the sunscreen again – after your swim, you needed another coating of it – and saw Yeosang’s hand shooting out to grab the bottle before you could. “Y/N, do you need to go to the bathroom?” he asked, his voice loud and very sharp, the look in his eyes even more dangerous than before. “Uh-“ you were at a loss for words for a split second, contemplating what to do. Your eyes shot around your friend group; they were all staring at you, awaiting your answer. You looked at Wooyoung for help, who just shrugged, but with a knowing smile on his face, as if to say: task completed. You turned back to Yeosang. Upon looking into his eyes, you managed to make a sound that vaguely resembled the word “Yeah.” You excused yourself from Mingi and stood up, following Yeosang to the boulevard. The beach only had so many places to go to the bathroom at. As you were walking, you wondered if Yeosang really was taking Wooyoung’s advice to get a room at the seaside hotel. But he walked past it. Only when you were on the parking lot, luckily wearing flip flops to protect your feet from the scorching hot asphalt, you realised he was taking you to the car. “Yeo?” He didn’t respond. “Sangie?” you said, louder now. “Sangie, baby?” He stopped dead in his tracks, causing you to bump into him. He spun around slowly. “Hm?” “Are we going anywhere? Is there a reason you have the car keys with you?” You gestured to the strangely shaped object in the pocket of his swimming shorts. Obviously car keys now that you thought about it. “Is there a reason you were all over Mingi?” Yeosang’s hand shot out to grab your wrist. He draped your arm over his shoulder, his hand moving tantalizingly slow down your arm to grab at your waist. He pulled you in closer. “Did you want him to hold you like this?” “Are you jealous?” You brought up your other arm to wrap around his neck, playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. You knew it tickled him, you also knew it was a touch that sent straight down to his dick. When Yeosang didn’t immediately respond to your question, you said: “You know I wouldn’t really want anyone but you, right? Would I really be all over Mingi in this parking lot right now? Of course not.” You brought your lips to his and kissed him softly. “You’re the only man I kiss.” You kissed a line from his jaw to just beneath his ear. “The only man I want to kiss,” you said, dropping your voice to a whisper. When you pulled back, you saw Yeosang’s face was on fire. Satisfied, you said: “So, about that car… Were you planning on taking me anywhere? Or just taking me in general?” He was trying to form words, which admittedly wasn’t really working. You waited patiently, all the while slipping your hand into the pocket of his trunks to take the keys out. “I know a spot.” You slipped out of Yeosang’s grip and now, instead, it was you holding onto him, pulling him with you toward the car. Because you were with such a big group, you had gone to the beach in two separate cars. It was Mingi’s car that Yeosang had taken the keys to. You guessed it was for obvious reasons he didn’t take Hongjoong’s keys. You climbed into the drivers’ seat while Yeosang got into the passengers’ seat. It didn’t matter to you what the boys were thinking you were doing right now. All that mattered was Yeosang’s obvious excitement – you could tell from both his face and his dick – and the fact that you had him right where you wanted him. You were also increasingly getting turned on yourself. You drove the car up, further onto the parking lot. You knew there were two entrances, knew that the other one, the one you were stirring the car toward, was rarely used. The reason for that was that the road meandered through the dunes, all the way up to the lighthouse. From the lighthouse, there was another winding road to the next beach town, but cars rarely arrived from there. The lighthouse was in disuse, and that was all the better for what you had planned. The lighthouse was a bit off the main road, deeper into the dune landscape and higher up. It was probably not the best place to be at if you didn’t want to get caught, but on the other hand, it was a lot more private than the parking lot had been. You drove the car onto the tiny strip of land surrounding the lighthouse, parking it to the side a little bit. As soon as you had turned off the engine, Yeosang spoke, for what seemed like the first time since you left the beach: “You think you won, don’t you?” “I did, didn’t I?” You unbelted yourself and turned in the seat to face him. You were startled to find him close to you, closer than you had expected. He had already taken off his belt and was leaning over the stick shift between you. “No. Our game only just begun.” He used his pointer finger to lift your chin up to meet his gaze, his lips ghosting over yours. It was just a hint of a kiss, the slightest touch, and it made you want more of him. You liked teasing, you liked the chase, but now you were here, all by yourselves at a more or less abandoned place and you were ready to either fuck Yeosang’s brains out or get your own brains fucked out. You weren’t ready for another game of cat and mouse, another fight to see who the more sexually dominant person was between you two. When Yeosang pulled away, leaving you completely untouched, you weren’t even surprised to find you were whining. “Sangie,” you said, dragging out the e-sound. “What does my baby girl want?” It was hard to believe he could be blushing and whiny and in all sorts of states with the way he was looking at you now. So predatory and possessive it made you shiver. “I want you.” You tried to widen your eyes in innocence. You knew it would get Yeosang going simply because it reminded him of the hentai he watched. And it worked its magic immediately. His lips were on yours almost instantly and you sighed into his mouth in satisfaction. This was all you had been wanting for the past day. With the both of you and the car seats cleaned up enough, you settled into Yeosang’s arms. You were nearly the same height and he had a slender build, but it didn’t matter to you what his physique looked like. You felt safe in his arms anyway. The way the car was parked allowed for a spectacular view of the sun sinking in the sea in the distance. You sighed happily. With one of your hands’ fingers intertwined with Yeosang’s, you let the other bring his hand up to your mouth. He watched as you pressed kisses to his fingers, lingering on the place his rings would normally be. Your sign of affection didn’t startle Yeosang as it may have had the couple of times before that this had happened between you two. Even without saying it out loud, you both knew this was different from your skinship with Mingi, from the way Yeosang sometimes met up for late nights with other girls. It was time for both of those to end officially and for something else to blossom, you both knew it. You also both knew it was probably time to return to the other boys. As the sun had set completely, disappearing beyond the horizon, you tried to wiggle out of Yeosang’s grasp. He whined, the way you liked to hear him whine. “Baby, we need to go. The boys-“ “Can wait. I want to cuddle you more.” Gone was the dominant persona he had taken on during sex. “We can cuddle in the back of the car on the way home?” You leaned over and pressed your lips to his, his lips as soft as feathers. “I don’t want to think about how long we were gone for.” You started climbing to the front of the car, plopping down in the drivers’ seat. Yeosang climbed to the front as well, offering an estimate of an hour and a half you had spent away from the beach, which caused you to speed back to the parking lot. With the sun having set now, there were only so many cars left in the lot. The headlights of Mingi’s car swooped over a group of boys standing leaned against a truck – Hongjoong’s truck. “I think we’re in trouble,” you said, upon seeing Mingi getting ready to square up. “Oh, I don’t doubt it.” Yeosang smiled at you. “We should’ve went with the hotel room.”

a/n: I’m sorry if you wanted an actual sex scene but I left it out because I couldn’t get it right (I’ve been working on this thing for months now lol, hence the summer theme). But I like how the rest turned out :) Also, I’m so so sorry that it took me literal months to post something new. I’ve been on writers block, especially when it comes to kpop. I might post some of the Draco Malfoy & Harry Styles stuff I wrote though sometime soon

#kang yeosang x reader #yeosang smut #kpop smut #kpop x reader #kpop fluff #yeosang fluff #ateez x reader #ateez smt #ateez fluff #my writing #yeosang #kang yeosang #ateez #kpop

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ahsokatanope · 4 years

Text

Battered and Bruised: Chapter II

Prisoners

Prev. Chapters: Chapter I

Summary: After being captured by some of Jabba’s bounty hunters, you wake up in an unfamiliar place along with Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man the Empire trained you to hate.

Pairing: Inquisitor!Reader x Obi-Wan Kenobi

Word Count: 2,718

Warnings: claustrophobia, mentions of anxiety

Tag List: @whatsasetitoff @kaminobiwan

Note: Hope you all enjoy this one! Reader is put into a situation that she’s not used to at all. She’s conflicted and honestly not having the best time since her helmet and sabers are gone. :( But there is some banter! We also see a familiar face (if you watch tcw, that is). Let me know what you think and/or if you’d like to be tagged!

“I had her, My Lord.” Anger drips from your voice as your gloved hands ball into fists. “I swear I had her, but she slipped through my fingers.”

“I want her dead, Inquisitor.” Lord Vader’s voice reverberates through your body. As much as you try to get used to it, you simply can’t. It’s cold, robotic, and dark; just like him.

“I know.”

“You are aware that you are supposed to be the Empire’s best.” Vader continues, the void of where his eyes are supposed to be staring right at you, straight into your soul.

“I will be.” You set your jaw and straighten your posture, but he doesn’t seem happy with that answer. “I am. It’s just one mistake, My L—”

Vader cuts you off by raising his right hand to choke you with the Force. You struggle to breathe as he continues to watch you with his lifeless stare. With the layers of fabric and armor that you wear, you feel that he can see right through you. Past the facade you put up to make yourself look powerful in the eyes of your superiors.

“Tell me, First Sister.” Vader continues, sounding like he’s exerting no energy. “Did I make a mistake when I chose to save your life during The Purge?”

Your hands fly to your throat and you try to claw his Force presence away from you. He’s too strong... his anger too powerful… too consuming.

“No.” The word comes flying out when you realize he’s not in the mood for excuses. When he doesn’t say anything and the Force around your throat tightens, you continue. “My Lord.”

The pressure around your windpipes releases slightly, but he doesn’t let go. You gasp and try to get as much oxygen into your lungs as possible.

“Did I make a mistake when I chose to keep you alive and make you an Inquisitor?”

“No, Lord Vader,” you manage to choke out. The strong persona you constantly put on is now gone. You’re helpless and defenseless in front of the Sith Lord you’ve sworn to serve.

“Tell me why I should not kill you right now for your incompetence.”

You feel lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. The vision around your eyes starts to go black and you begin to fade in and out of consciousness.

“Tell me!” Vader yells, towering over your body. The grip on you grows tight again.

“I will… not fail you again, Lord Vader.” Your voice is raspy and strained. “I will find her. I won’t fail you, I give you my word.”

He finally releases you and your body crumples to the ground. You breathe rapidly, chest heaving as your shaking arms struggle to pull your torso off the ground. You get yourself on your hands and knees, your hair falling into your face as Vader walks away from you.

“The fact that you were once friends with Anakin Skywalker does not mean anything anymore. The next time you fail me, it will result in your death.”

“Y/N.”

“I won’t fail you.”

“Wake up.”

“I won’t fail.”

“It’s not real.”

“I… will not…”

“Y/N!”

Your eyes snap open and you struggle for air as you try to make sense of your surroundings. Without thinking clearly, you try to stand up, but chains tether you to the wall behind you. You tug at them but they don’t budge. Just like Vader’s grip on you hadn’t in your nightmare. You begin to feel claustrophobic.

Your heart beats quickly, the sound pounding in your ears as you slowly become aware of your position. Dirt and sand layer the front of Imperial uniform, staining the previously black and red material to a dirty dark brown. Metal cuffs and chains hold your arms out in front of you.

It’s then that you realize that their material must be made from something that strips away your connection to the Force. Without the Force flowing through you, you feel empty and vulnerable. You don’t like it.

Your head whips back and forth as you quickly glance around the small room. Your eyes search for a threat, but there are none in sight. Only… an old friend. A man the Empire convinced you to despise.

“Welcome back to the land of the conscious.” Obi-Wan says in a sarcastic tone. “I take it you didn’t sleep well?” His face betrays his words, though, because he looks at you with slight concern donning his features.

You are silent for a few moments as you stare blankly at the dirty stone ground of the cell you’re in. Your mind wanders to the flashback of your past you were forced to witness when you were unconscious.

It was the first and last time you failed a mission. The Jedi Padawan you had set out to assassinate had escaped, causing you to almost be killed as a punishment at the hands of Darth Vader. As cruel as it was, the punishment did work in the long run. You never failed a mission again and quickly rose to become Vader’s greatest asset and the leader of the Imperial Inquisition.

“Are you alright?” Kenobi’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts and your eyes dart to his. Suddenly, you feel extremely exposed and vulnerable without your helmet. The Jedi across from you looks the opposite; he seems rather cozy considering the situation you both are in. His hands are bound like yours and tacked to the wall opposite of you, but he’s definitely made himself comfortable by crossing his legs and leaning against the wall.

You choose to ignore his question and reply with one of your own.

“What did you do, Kenobi?” Your voice is dark and raspy and your gaze pierces into him. You tug at the Force-binding metal cuffs on your wrists.

Obi-Wan just raises an eyebrow as he watches you. “What did I do? I believe the question you mean to ask is, what did you do?”

“What are you suggesting?” You ask, anger simmering throughout your body. As more seconds tick by, the skin around your wrists becomes increasingly irritated and you know it won’t be long before the metal breaks skin. You just can’t take the feeling of being bound anymore.

“I woke up prematurely and overheard our abductors having a chat.” Kenobi begins. “I believe they mentioned something about a certain Inquisitor slaughtering one of Jabba the Hutt’s most trusted men right in front of him. Does that sound familiar at all to you?”

Oh, right. Fazabar. Jabba’s Palace. The bounty hunters. Things are starting to make sense now. Jabba put a bounty on your head and Kenobi got caught in the mix too. If you’re not dead, then that means that either he’s holding you prisoner or that he sold you to someone else. You’re not sure which of the two is better.

“I had good reason for what I did.” You narrow your eyes at the man across from you.

“Oh, did you? Look at where it got you. And me, might I add.” Obi-Wan breathes out a humorless laugh. “You may have turned to the Dark Side and become a person I do not know anymore, but… you really haven’t changed, have you? You’re still as reckless as ever.”

His gaze is calculating as he analyzes your features and tries to figure you out. His stare burns you with its intensity and you force yourself to look away.

You’re sure he meant the comment as a way to get under your skin, but you don’t let him get to you. Instead, you continue to yank at the bindings that tether you to the wall behind you. “I prefer the term ambitious.”

Obi-Wan rolls his eyes and scoffs. He continues to watch you fiddle around and pull at the chains connected to the wall.

“You must know that doing that is not going to work.” He says, unimpressed.

“Yes, it will.” You won’t lie, as much as you would like to get away from the Jedi, you enjoy watching the annoyance grow within him.

A few seconds pass by and the only sound in the cell is the repetitive clanking of your chains hitting the wall.

“Will you stop that? What do you expect to accomplish?”

“I got myself into this mess, and now I’m getting myself out of it. And away from you.” You say simply.

Obi-Wan sighs. “You’re wasting your energy.”

You admit that the skin around your wrists is rubbed raw, but the pain doesn’t stop you from continuing. It’s not long before you finally detach your chain from the wall.

Jingling the chain in front of you, you flash Obi-Wan a smirk. “You were saying?”

He just gives you a deadpanned look as you move to stand on your feet. Your body aches from being in an unsettling position for hours on end. With a content sigh, you flex and stretch your muscles, feeling better by the second. You are still cut off from the Force, but Maker does it feel good to stretch out and release the tension in your body.

“Care to remove mine as well?” The Jedi asks, lifting an eyebrow.

“Can’t. Sorry. I have a call to make.” You bring up your left forearm and go to activate your emergency homing beacon, but your control pad is missing.

You swear under your breath. It must have been removed right after you were hit with the dart. A faded memory of you activating your homing beacon right before you fell to the ground flashes in your mind.

“Missing something?” A new voice comes from beyond the rusting bars of the cell.

Both you and Obi-Wan’s eyes dart over to the new presence and you’re surprised when you are met with the familiar face of—

“Hondo?” Kenobi asks, his body perking up at the sight of him. “What are you doing here? You work for The Hutts now?”

“Kenobi! Y/N.” He says, nodding to each of you. “Or should I say, Inquisitor. I will say, you Jedi never fail to surprise me. A Jedi working for the Empire! Amazing.”

You narrow your eyes at him. In your past as a Jedi, you along with Obi-Wan Kenobi had gone on many missions where you encountered the pirate leader. Your relationship was… an interesting one to say the least. One mission you were trying to kill or kidnap each other, the next you’d be allies.

“I’m not a Jedi anymore, Hondo. My allegiance is with the Galactic Empire.” You say, eyeing Obi-Wan before setting your gaze back on the pirate… or former pirate. “What planet are we on? Where did you bring us?”

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that.” Hondo sighs before eyeing the Imperial logo on your shoulder. “A friend of the Empire is an enemy to me, no matter how many adventures we’ve been on.”

“I’ll pay you triple of what Jabba gave you if you release me.”

Obi-Wan watches you with a raised eyebrow.

Hondo chuckles and shakes his head. “I am simply the middle man, fellow Jedi. I want nothing to do with the Empire. I’m afraid you have nothing to give me that Jabba hasn’t given me already.”

“What do you mean, ‘middle man’.” Obi-Wan asks from his spot on the ground. “There’s somebody else involved?”

You stay quiet, interested in his answer as well.

“One of my good friends, Ja’arvis Takun, you may have heard of him, was looking for new initiates. Jabba wanted to sell off two Jedi to the highest bidder with no ties to the Empire, so who was I to not make the connection.”

Kenobi’s eyes widen. “Ja’arvis Takun, the Gamemaster?”

If Obi-Wan is right, then that means that you were sold into... slavery? Not just any sort of slavery; gladiatorial slavery. Ja’arvis Takun is the creator of one of the most brutal arena fights in the galaxy, known as Ja’arvis’ Games. Once you become a gladiator, there’s no way to escape unless you win your way out. However, that rarely happens because the competition is extremely ruthless.

“You have heard of him.” Hondo grins. “Good. That means you’re already familiar with The Games.”

Sold into slavery. Kriff, is this a joke? Your fists clench just thinking about how smug Jabba must be after his successful capture and transaction involving you. When you get out, killing Jabba will be the first thing you do. Surely, the Empire will notice your absence and come for you. Your brothers and sister must notice that you’re missing, right? Vader must be looking for you. He has to be.

“So, why are you still here if you already got your share of the money. Why not just take the credits and leave?” Kenobi asks, growing restless from sitting in the same spot.

“I came to escort you two to your first of the Games, of course! Come on, Kenobi, what type of creature would I be if I didn’t make sure you two didn’t get the best treatment, after all we have been through.” Hondo laughs before nodding to the approaching guard to open the cell.

After the cell opens, guards come in and grab ahold of your chains (not without you struggling against them, though). You manage to kick one swiftly in the chest, but they subdue the rest of your efforts by removing Obi-Wan’s chains from the wall and connecting them to yours. This forces the two of you to become a unit and walk together.

“I’d much rather you release us, than escort us, Hondo.” Obi-Wan grunts as he’s pushed by a guard.

“Move!” The guard says, pushing again, forcing the two of you to take a step forward. Kenobi is too close for your liking, but you have no choice in the matter. Luckily there are no cuffs around your ankles or it would make matters a lot worse.

“You know I cannot do that, my friend.” Hondo says as you and Obi-Wan pass by.

Anger wells up inside you when you get close to the pirate. “You will pay for this, Hondo.”

Hondo just laughs in your face. “I’m sure I will, Y/N. After today, the Empire will have a difficult time finding me. I’m going into hiding. I have enough credits and spice to supply me for the rest of my life. I guess I have you both to thank for that, so… I give you my gratitude.”

You all walk in silence for a few minutes before you approach a small room at the end of the hall. It’s dark and grungy, not much different than the rest of the place, but this room has no bars like the rest of the cells do. The door is made of solid durasteel.

The guards shove both of you in and take a step back, allowing Hondo to be front and center.

“I sincerely wish you both luck. You’ll need it.” He says, looking between the both of you before he turns to leave. Before he takes a step, he pauses and turns back around raising his right arm up.

“Oh, I almost forgot. You’re going to need this.” Hondo pulls Obi-Wan’s lightsaber out from his cloak and throws it to him. The Jedi catches it with ease.

“What about mine?” You ask, your eyes darting between Hondo and Obi-Wan cutting off his restraints.

“Jabba’s men couldn’t find any of your weapons when they captured you.” Hondo shrugs. “I’m sure you’ll be fine without it.” He smiles and nods at the guards to close the door to the room.

“Hondo, you can’t just leave me without a weapon!” You try to protest, but it’s already too late. The door has closed and you’re alone with Obi-Wan Kenobi yet again.

You stare at him in the dim light, watching him sigh in contentment of being free. He rubs at the irritated skin on his wrists.

You sigh deeply, looking away for a moment. Now you feel more trapped and claustrophobic than ever. Your heart begins to beat quicker with anxiety as the walls of the tiny room seem to close around you.

Finally making eye contact with Obi-Wan, you clench your jaw before mirroring his question from earlier inside the cell.

“Care to remove mine as well?”

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themuzzleofnemesis · 4 years

Text

1-Memory of Settling the Score; Scene 2

The Muzzle of Nemesis, pages 18-39

--Men in military uniform stood around me in a line in the meeting room.

One of them was pointing to a spot on the map that was spread out on top of the table, and explaining something to me.

“—The southern front has already been broken by USE forces. Rolled has been taken from us, and they are currently marching for Lucifenian. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before they retake the Republic of Lucifenia. We’ve managed to hold back the Marlon cruisers to the west with our naval unit, but the situation hasn’t been favorable--”

Why was he saying such things to me?

What—was this man’s name?

…Areus...Yes, he is…General Areus Hymn.

My blurred consciousness gradually began to clear.

And that’s…Gigaty...Polrio...And that man with the glasses is Grand...

I confirmed the names of each of the officers lined up before me inside my head.

Mima...Encheri...Yes, they’re all—my subordinates. My colleagues in the great Tasan Party.

General Areus didn’t look so good as he gave his report.

His expression, more than his words, told of our poor military situation.

“—Our allies have been slow to act. Beelzenia has their hands full with defending themselves, and Jakoku…They’re still suffering from the ‘unfortunate accident’ the other day. We have reports that they’re already preparing a complete surrender to the USE army.”

And there, General Areus stopped moving his mouth.

He seemed to be waiting for me to give some sort of response to his report.

It was the same with the others. There was sweat on his brow, and he remained standing at attention.

Would we surrender?

Or would we continue the war?

They were waiting for my words.

--The words of Elphegort’s führer, Nemesis Sudou.

I had been sitting in a chair, and it was there that I stood.

I could tell clearly that everyone was breathless with anticipation.

“…There’s no problem.”

I’m positive that I was smiling.

How could I be smiling in the midst of such a crisis?—That bewilderment showed quite obviously on the officers’ faces.

It wasn’t that I was bluffing.

It was as I had just said—there was no problem.

“Everyone, come with me.”

I approached a bookcase that was deeper in the conference room, and pushed a key that I had on my person into a keyhole on the underside of the shelf.

The bookcase slid to the side, and opened up a doorway to a hidden room.

There were various kinds of devices in this room.

There weren’t many who knew what they were for even among the top officers of the Tasan Party.

The first one to speak up was General Areus.

“So you’ve…already made preparations.”

“Correct. We need only activate it now, and everything will be over.” I put my hand on the firing mechanism, and once more flashed a smile. “This bastard child of the gods who will lead us to victory—‘Punishment’.”

It was a new weapon developed by Elphegort’s proud researchers. Its aim was already on the entirety of Evillious.

The two firing tests we had done for it had produced results beyond expectation. The first “Punishment” had completely burned down the Millennium Tree Forest to Elphegort’s south, and the second firing had transformed Jakoku’s Onigashima to a land of ash—To tell the truth, that one had been a miscalculation; by all rights it was supposed to land on an open field on the western edge of the United States of Maistia—we had finished correcting for that configuration error.

“But…Führer.” General Areus’s expression was still stiff, even as he looked upon the firing mechanism. “Do you really intend to use this?”

“Do you have some objection?”

“I have two worries. First—‘Punishment’’s destructive power vastly outstrips any weapon that already exists. No matter where it lands, we won’t be able to avoid having many civilian casualties. The other concern is that there are instabilities in its accuracy from rushing its development. There’s a chance that it may go off course and cause damage to our own country—”

“Our scientists are working to ensure that doesn’t happen. We won’t have another failure like with Jakoku.”

“But—”

General Areus didn’t withdraw. Apparently there were others who shared his thinking among the other officers.

It seemed I would have to first correct their misconception.

“General. I have no actual intention of firing ‘Punishment’ right away. This is—a deterrent.”

“…”

“Word has already spread to other countries of the situation in Onigashima. But the USE forces don’t yet know that we still have several ‘Punishments’ available. It is for that reason they are making such a cocksure advance. They believe that we have no more options available to us. …Once our enemy learns we have yet more ‘Punishments’, and that they are aimed at every country—there will be room for negotiation.”

“…I see.”

“Gentlemen, this next part is your job. Armed with the authority of ‘Punishment’, make the USE army withdraw from our nations!”

“Yes!”

Starting with General Areus, all the officers present saluted me.

“Now go! For Tasan Elphegort!”

“Long live Führer Sudou!”

--After the meeting had ended, I took a brief rest in my quarters.

Generally it wasn’t a good idea to stand by the window. There was always the chance of being targeted by an enemy sniper.

Go ahead and kill me, if you can.

I began to gaze at the scenery outside without much hesitation. The windows on the opposite building, its roof, among the branches of the roadside trees—there was no silhouette of an assassin anywhere.

Despite the whole world being at war, it was quiet around Tasan headquarters. I could see an aging woman walking the path, pulling along a cart with a large barrel inside.

I returned my gaze to the inside of my room. I didn’t much care for excessive decoration. As long as I had the bare minimum of what I needed, that was enough for me.

Here there was only a desk, a chair, a bed for napping, several medals and photos pinned up on the wall, and—one large water tank.

At the bottom of the water tank a Ziz Tiama—a blue octopus—was sleeping soundly. Most of the time when visitors first came here, they would seem put off by the octopus. Frankly speaking, perhaps they were more put off by me, for keeping such a thing in my room.

This octopus was one that my mother had given me soon after I was born. I had given him the nickname of “Mr. Ziz”, and doted upon him. We had been together for over thirty years now. He was my oldest friend, and you could say we shared a common destiny.

As long as Mr. Ziz was alive, I would not die—Whenever I told anyone that, they would laugh, thinking I was joking.

There was only one person who took me seriously, without laughing.

--I’m sure that if he were still alive, my life would have taken a very different turn. I wouldn’t be in the position to rule a country like this—I would be living as one woman, as a wife…

What a foolish fantasy.

There’s nothing gained by looking back to the past, and I had no regrets about who I was now.

I had to save the world.

This world filled with this “anger”.

…Even if I wasn’t the right person to do that.

I couldn’t go back now.

I realized there was some commotion going on outside, and once more returned to the window.

The guards were quarreling with someone out by the main gate.

When I looked closer, I saw that it was the same woman who had been pulling the cart before.

“—I’m telling you, I was told to bring this food in here!”

“We haven’t heard anything about that. And this place is closed to the public to begin with.”

“That’s none of my concern! If I don’t finish my work, I won’t get paid! Just let me through!”

It seemed the soldiers weren’t able to run the woman off very well, stupefied at her threatening attitude.

There was a knock on the door, and Colonel Polrio immediately entered. He had several documents in hand.

Before he could speak, I cut in with, “There’s a ruckus going on outside.”

“…I beg your pardon. It looks like some peasant woman trying to push her wares. –Would you like me to give the order to have her shot?”

“She may be a peasant, but we can’t afford to have you harming a citizen of Elphegort without cause. Have her leave politely…If they can’t even do that, then Tasan Elphegort’s soldiers must not be worth much.”

“—Of course. I will do as you ask.”

Colonel Polrio hurriedly left the room, leaving the documents on my desk.

--The populace was suffering from this prolonged war. We had a serious shortage of goods. And we couldn’t rely on aid from our allies.

And here to break this stalemate—

…Is, I suppose, ‘Punishment’.

I had told everyone earlier that I had no intention of using it right away.

Of course, there’s nothing I would prefer more than for all of this to be resolved without anyone being sacrificed.

But…the other me whispered in my heart.

“Everything must be purified.”

This brutal personality that slept within me. It had tormented me since I was a child.

I’d become mostly able to shut her out since becoming an adult, but--

It felt as though her voice was growing stronger lately.

The ruckus was still ongoing outside.

“That’s enough of your nonsense!”

I could hear the soldiers shouting. When I looked out the window they were aiming the machine guns that they carried at the woman.

And in no time at all, several gunshots rang out.

The woman didn’t seem to have been shot. Rather, I could see some faint sand clouds from the ground near her, apparently from warning shots.

“If you don’t want to get shot, leave now!”

Perhaps frightened by the soldiers’ threat, she turned around and then slowly started walking towards her cart.

What a waste of bullets.

I would have to punish them for that later with a pay cut.

Once the woman reached the cart, she didn’t immediately set out.

She put her hand on a cord tying down a sheet on top of the barrel there.

--I suddenly got a bad feeling.

Despite having just been threatened with a gun, the woman’s face bore a calm smile.

She unfastened the cord, and swiftly yanked off the sheet.

What immediately broke through the lid of the barrel and leaped out was—

…A—tiger!?

The guardsmen looked even more surprised than I was. Taking advantage of their immediate inaction, the tiger quickly pounced upon one of the soldiers.

“Aaaaugh!”

By the time the reserve guards had rushed out of the main building, hearing the screams, the tiger had already ripped the man’s throat out.

--At some point the woman had vanished from her place by the cart.

Everyone started to fire at the tiger all at once.

But the tiger ran to escape the rain of bullets, disappearing behind the building on the other side of the road.

“Catch it!”

Complying with their commanders’ order, all the guards headed in the direction the tiger had fled.

They went behind the building, and just as they were out of sight—

Again, the sound of gunshots rang out.

Just now…That didn’t sound like our military guns.

Immediately, a fewer number of soldiers came running back. They then hid behind the perimeter wall of the headquarters, and took up firing stances.

The troop leader blew the whistle to call in reinforcements.

“We’re under attack!”

At the same time, I could hear more firing from the enemy soldiers on the other side.

I immediately pulled away from the window and hid myself in a spot that couldn’t be seen from the outside.

And then I recalled a certain name to mind.

That tiger…I wonder if it’s Feng Li. A ghost of PN.

Then that woman was probably—a disguised Hel Jaakko.

Colonel Polrio sprinted into the room, accompanied by two subordinates.

“We’re under attack!”

“I know that! By who and how many?”

“Judging by their uniforms they’re likely from the United States of Maistia! As for how many…As far as we can tell at present, maybe ten-odd soldiers.”

“Maistia…Quite a feat, coming all the way here from across the ocean.”

It must have been an infiltration unit that came to Elphegort masquerading as peasants.

Still…How reckless. There’s no way these headquarters will fall to such a small number of people.

I heard the sound of my room’s windows violently shattering from enemy fire. Colonel Polrio let out a small wail and hid under my desk.

“Führer, this is too dangerous! We must move to the war council room!”

“That would be wise.”

I started to head for the doorway, crouching down.

“…Colonel Polrio.”

“Yes?”

“Take my water tank to the war council room.”

“Huh? But I can’t do that by myse—”

“What are those men cowering at your side here for?”

Even amid all this chaos, Mr. Ziz was peacefully drifting around in his tank, showing no sign of waking up.

What a carefree creature.

While we waited for the battle to end inside the war council room, I pondered on the true identity of our foes.

Why are former PN members with Maistia troops?

There was a justice organization known as the Dark Star Bureau in northern Levianta. This bureau had once created its own personal peace-keeping force separate from the police.

That was “Police Neutrality”—nicknamed “PN”.

After Levianta had broken out into civil war on account of Dark Star Bureau Director Gallerian Marlon’s excesses, PN was disbanded.

The whereabouts of its former members varied. Some were imprisoned, some were recruited into the World Police, some went to spend the rest of their years in their homelands—

I had once worked in PN myself.

…Though I was never an official member. On the surface, PN had the purpose of performing peacekeeping activities in each country as an alternative to the corrupt police, but behind the scenes it also carried out secret assassination jobs against any who would threaten the Dark Star Bureau—or rather, anyone who got in Gallerian’s way.

I had been entrusted with carrying out such “behind the scenes” tasks.

Feng Li, Hel Jaakko…They had been part of PN’s “public” face. For that reason, while I had heard of them, today was my first time ever laying eyes on them.

Perhaps I didn’t need to think too deeply about it. A great deal of time had passed since PN was disbanded. There was nothing particularly odd about anywhere its members ended up working.

--I was more proof of that than anyone.

Who could have imagined that little old Nemesis would be standing at the top of Elphegort? Me, who had once done nothing but make trouble with my friends in the slums of Aceid?

“…It’s quiet.”

At some point the sound of gunshots had faded away.

“Perhaps they’ve finished suppressing our foes,” Colonel Polrio suggested.

About ten party officers including myself were assembled in the council room, the safest place in headquarters.

“…Where is Major Encheri?”

It was then that I finally realized one of the officers was absent.

“Gone, now that you mention it. …Maybe he grabbed a gun and went out to join the fight. He’s quite the daring man, ha ha ha.”

I would have really preferred if General Areus had been joking. “I told him to think of his age and position. It’s not a commander’s job to be standing on the front lines.”

“True, he’ll be in for a scolding when he gets back.”

Suddenly, the door opened.

The man standing there was the very subject of discussion, Major Encheri. Everyone in the room turned their gaze to him at once.

I noticed immediately that he had sweat pouring from his temples. Perhaps he was uncomfortable with having been so late…That’s what I thought for a moment.

No…it’s not that.

General Areus seemed to notice something off about Major Encheri as well when he tried to approach him.

“You—”

But before General Areus could speak to him, Major Encheri pitched forward.

Thrust deep into his back—was a wide knife.

“--!?”

Everyone grasped the situation, and moved to hide behind the desk, drawing their guns.

However…our foe’s movements were just a little bit quicker.

The muzzle of a gun flashed from the other side of the doorway—several people were shot by the bullets flying from it.

“Gah!”

I peered at the fallen from the shadow of the desk.

They got…Gigaty and Grand. General Areus is…just barely alive.

He was lying on the spot, moaning in pain from a shot to his left leg.

Someone then stomped on his wounded leg.

“Haugh!”

Ignoring General Areus’ pitiable cries, the intruders drew closer to me and the others.

“Drop your guns and stand up with your hands in the air!” the man who appeared to be the leader shouted at where we were hidden.

Naturally, we had no intention of obeying his words.

I stood, and showed myself to our enemy—my gun at the ready.

At that signal, the others also stood and pointed their guns at the intruders.

There were less of them than I’d thought.

Only three.

They all hid their faces with cloth and goggles.

We’ve got seven people left. We’ve got superior numbers, but…

There was a clear difference in equipment between us and our foes.

All of the Tasan officers were wielding pistols for personal protection. By contrast, they were equipped with fully automatic rifles. And the vests they were wearing were, without a doubt, bulletproof.

Even if we exchange fire…they’d be the ones left in the end.

Their leader likely realized that.

He aimed the gun at me and declared, showing no sign of fear, “I’ll say it again. Drop your guns. If not, I’ll shoot Führer Sudou first.”

The officers all looked conflicted, but when Colonel Polrio threw down his gun in defeat, the others followed suit one by one.

And so—I was the only one among my allies who was still wielding a gun.

“You don’t know when to give up, do you Führer? Even you must see you have no hope of winning.”

The leader continued to aim his gun at me, the other two watching the captured officers menacingly.

“No.”

And yet, I had no intention of obeying him.

“I see, then you leave me no choice—you will die here, Nemesis.”

The man pulled the trigger without hesitation.

--But the bullet never actually left his machine gun.

What happened instead was an “unfortunate accident”

“Guuh…”

The man fell into a crouch, clutching his now blood-covered hand.

He couldn’t have imagined it.

--That his gun would explode the moment he pulled the trigger.

“Guess you weren’t so lucky, heh heh…” I smiled sardonically, but of course this…was not simple “bad luck”.

“Sir!”

One of his allies raced to him, and then pointed their machine gun at me.

“Oh, are you going to shoot next? Go ahead, try it. However…you’d better hope there’s not another ‘accident’.”

He moved to shoot me, angered by my provocation, but the leader stopped him.

“Don’t do it! This woman…did something to the gun.”

The leader took the gun from his comrade and carefully checked it with shaking hands.

“…As I thought. Something’s clinging to the inside of the bolt…Is this…ice?” Finally the man tossed the gun aside, and then glared at me through his goggles. “—You damned witch.”

“My my, don’t use such an anachronistic word. ‘Witches’—their existence was thoroughly debunked by the Dark Star Bureau long ago, you know.”

“…I know. I too was once a member of ‘PN’, after all.”

My heart faintly stirred at hearing that.

I once more looked at his wound.

That bloodied hand…the color of his skin…He was black.

This man…he can’t be…

While holding my gun in one hand, I walked closer to him.

His other comrade kept their machine gun trained on me, but there was no need to fear. Even if they fired, they would meet the same outcome as their leader.

I put my hand on his goggles and ripped them off.

Then I tore away the cloth covering him, and there—

Was a face I knew.

“—So, Bruno Zero…It is you.”

The unsavory organization, PN.

He had been its leader.

“It’s been a while, Nemesis.”

“…You’ve gotten old, Bruno.”

This was a reunion decades apart, but neither of us were smiling.

“Why are you with the Maistian army—Or rather, why are you attacking this place?”

“Do you really need to ask me that? I would think it’s obvious I came to kill you, the enemy of the United States of Maistia…the führer of Tasan Elphegort.”

“If that’s the case why didn’t you shoot me right away? You tried to get me to surrender at first.”

Bruno didn’t reply.

He simply continued to glare at me, silently.

Getting a hold on the situation, Colonel Polrio scooped up his gun and approached my side.

“Is this an acquaintance of yours, Führer?”

“Acquaintance…Yeah. You could say this man—Bruno, is the one to whom I owe my life.”

“My word, then—”

“Search him. You might find something.”

Colonel Polrio quickly seized Bruno, and then began to search his pockets.

As he did, the other officers grabbed Bruno’s comrades and called for reinforcements.

--It was apparent that the combatants who had attacked the main gate at the start were merely a diversion. Then a different unit comprised of Bruno and his allies snuck in while the guards were distracted and reach the council room…That was the gist of it.

“Führer. I found this—” Colonel Polrio handed me a sheet of paper once he had finished searching Bruno. “It looks like orders. It’s been written in code so I don’t know what it says…Shall I have it deciphered?”

“No need.”

I recognized that code.

“Using the same code that you did back in PN—You’ve gone senile, Bruno.”

Its contents…were details on the new weapon that we possessed, “Punishment”.

And also the order to destroy it.

So the information’s been leaked. But I only revealed the existence of the completed “Punishment” to the officers for the first time in the meeting earlier. So then—there’s a chance we have a spy amidst our military scientists.

I would have to look into that later.

First—I needed to decide on what to do with Bruno.

I drew closer to him, and put the muzzle of the pistol in my hand in the middle of his brow.

“Do you remember this gun, Bruno?”

“…Your ‘Naga Custom 44”.

“Yes…The revolver that ‘Postman’ gave me that day. The name of the sender was…’MASTER’.”

“…”

“If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t be here now. The person who saved me when I was charged for the crime of sinking the S.S. Titanis and sentenced to be executed—was you.”

“…I regret doing it. You should have died back then.”

Even so, he had saved my life.

Because I—was the daughter of someone he loved.

I lowered the gun, and brought my face closer to look him right in the eyes.

“I will say it once more. I owe you my life. You saved me. And—you are the one who made me into what I am now.”

“So…You’re going to save me now? Is that what you’re about to say?”

I smiled at him.

“Oh no. It’s for that very reason—I’m going to kill you.”

I once more put the muzzle against his brow, and quickly pulled the trigger.

And as the blood splash washed over my face, I felt satisfied down to my very core.

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lia-jones · 4 years

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Growing Pains - Chapter Twenty Two - The Jones Family

First and foremost, thank you to my friend @muart0113 for the amazing art to illustrate my work. This girl is incredibly talented and makes my heart sing with joy with her every work. I love you, girl! Now, scroll down for the chapter...

It was a fantastic day. I had Victor by my side, and we were on our way to my parents’ house. I had received the highest praise from the University. Professor Williamson, that was so crude when I was defending my thesis, showered me with compliments right after, complimenting my hard work but, most of all, my vision. I had completed a milestone towards my healing, and with flying colors. It did feel as if I had healed, like the darkness in me had faded away, maybe for good, and I had found myself again. Better, I had found an improved version of myself.

I had managed to get my life back on track. I had found love and success. And to top it all off, Victor was in a very good mood as we drove in the sun, the Atlantic Ocean as our background.

“I may have to give you a raise.” He said, touching my leg. “When the other companies find out about you, I’ll have to fight for you tooth and nail.”

“Please.” I made a flat voice, but couldn’t avoid the grin. “If I’m here, it’s because of your help. Can you imagine what would have happened if you let me quit like I intended to? I might not be here now, celebrating with you.”

“I didn’t stop you from quitting, I teased you to stay.” He corrected. “You could have quit anytime, give it all up, but you didn’t. You faced the challenge.”

“Don’t think I don’t know you cherry-picked the clients I would work with.” I looked at him from the corner of my eye.

“Of course I did. But it wasn’t all for your benefit.” Victor looked at me with earnest eyes. “I merely saw a good opportunity, and yes, cherry-picked the people I enjoy and trust the most to profit from it. It wasn’t all because of you, it was also because of them. Mr. Mills’ business, for example, benefited immensely collaborating with both Guy and Xavier, increasing his sales. Xavier got excellent quality grapes at a very competitive price, and Guy now has superior fresh ingredients for his restaurant. Everything your study promises. A win-win-win situation.”

I couldn’t help but smile, not because of the praise, but because my “utopic reasoning”, as some teachers put it, made some sense after all. And the practical applications of it, that allowed these companies to grow, was the final proof.

“And I got you.” My hand leaving the wheel and reaching for his. “And you were my greatest support, Victor. If it wasn’t for you-“

“Just take the praise.” Victor sounded annoyed, but I could see the soft smile on his face. “I will not repeat myself. Just say Thank you, handsome.”

“You enjoy your new nickname, is it?”

“I don’t hate it.” Victor feigned aloofness.

“Thank you, handsome.” I offered, just letting the happiness wash over me.

A comfortable silence filled the car, and all we could hear was the hum of the motor running, and the seagulls outside, jumping on the warm sand of the beach beside us. It suddenly dawned on me where we were driving to. It was Victor’s first real interaction with my family. I started feeling nervous again, my happiness thrown to the background, as an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach again.

“Are you nervous?” Victor asked, reading into me.

“Why should I be?” I answered nonchalantly.

“I can tell you are worried.” He said, matter-of-factly. “Are you afraid they won’t like me?”

“I’m afraid you won’t like them.” I confessed. “I mean, you’ve seen them. They are caring and supportive and I love them to death, but they’re also overly expressive, and noisy… Nothing you are used to.”

“How judgmental do you think I am?” Victor frowned at me.

I didn’t answer, afraid to start an argument. Victor could be judgmental sometimes. Not that he did it on purpose, or with a mean intention, but he was quick to draw conclusions about people. It was how he navigated through the world. He categorized.

“Perhaps I’m a little nervous as well.” He offered, almost in a whisper.

“Don’t be. You made time in your very busy schedule and took a twelve-hour flight to come and see my presentation. When asked, you spoke highly of me. They already like you.” I chuckled, relieved to see the tone of the conversation shifting to a more amicable one.

“After what you’ve been through…” He hesitated for a moment. “I want them to see I’m not like that.” He confessed.

I turned the car to the side of the road, pulling the brake. Unfastening my seatbelt, I turned to Victor.

“You’re nothing like him.” I said, stroking his cheek. “Nothing at all. They will see that too, I’m sure.”

Victor ran his fingers through my curls, taking the back of my head and pulling me towards him for a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to get as close as I could, despite the parking brake and gear shift between us.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you since you left Loveland.” Victor whispered, his forehead touching mine.

I parked the car in front of my mother’s villa. My family had just arrived, and everyone was working to get lunch started.

“Welcome, Victor.” My mom greeted him. “Andrea will show you around while we set the table.”

“Do you need help?” Victor offered.

“No, not necessary. We have plenty of people to help. But it’s very nice of you to offer.” My mom smiled.

As we stepped inside, we were greeted by Lady, my black and white Border Collie. Well, I was greeted. Seeing Victor, a stranger in her pack’s territory, Lady positioned herself in front of him, taking a defensive stance, growling at him. Victor instinctively took a step back.

“Lady!” I called, trying to break her attack focus. “Sit! Calm down.”

Lady immediately sat, waiting for orders. I hugged Victor, and patted him on the chest. Lady was watching my behavior closely.

“He’s a friend, see?” I told her, and then turned to Victor. “You need to show her you are friendly.”

Victor gave me a confused frown but obliged, hugging me back and pecking me on the forehead. Lady was apparently pleased with the gesture, going to Victor and nudging his hand. He hesitated, but after a moment he started petting her. Her tailed wagged happily.

“Good job defending your family.” He offered, kneeling to let her come closer. “Good girl.”

I took Victor to the back of the house, where the greenhouse was located, connected to a small bright study and the kitchen. My mother’s house wasn’t as luxurious as Victor’s, but was well located near the beach, and with good access to the city, and it was incredibly spacious. We arrived at the study, where my piano was, by the door of the greenhouse, which was open at that time.

“What’s this smell?” He asked, breathing deeply the aroma.

“Lavender and lemon. From the greenhouse.”

Victor nodded in approval and then walked to my piano, looking at one of the pictures on top of the varnished wood, me playing that same piano when I was 7 years old.

“Is this you?” He asked, observing it carefully. “You were cute.”

“I still am.” I pretended to be offended.

“Debatable.” He gave me a mischievous smile, and I could tell he was relaxing a little bit.

“There you are.” I heard my mother, coming from the kitchen. “Lunch is on the table, come eat. Victor, there’s a bathroom near the kitchen, if you want to use it. Come, I’ll show you.”

Victor thanked my mother and followed her inside. I was about to go inside, when Cristina stopped me.

“Is he your boyfriend?” She whispered in Portuguese, so my father and Victor wouldn’t understand us. “He’s hot!”

“Shhhhh!” I urged her to keep quiet. “I haven’t told anyone yet. Did my mother say anything in the car?”

“No, she just commented on how nice he is. Josh is very suspicious though, he acted moody all the way here.”

“Oh God…” I whined, hiding my face with my hands.

“Hey! Snap out of it!” Cristina slapped my arm playfully. “Are you happy?” She asked, giving me a warm smile.

“Yes.” I smiled back. “Very happy.”

“Good. I got your back if things get chaotic. Don’t worry.”

“Are you ladies going to have lunch with us or are you watching your figure?” My father teased from inside.

As I entered, Victor was already sitting at the table, engaged in conversation with my brother, trying hard to blend in. There was a place next to him saved for me. My mother cooked a feast, from the usual codfish to the typical fava beans with pork. When everyone was happily eating, I tried to break the news.

“So…”

“Victor, have you tried Portuguese food before?” My father asked, making conversation.

“Yes, on one occasion.” He kept it vague, not wanting to tell them I had been cooking for him. “I tried the codfish, but not this recipe. It had cream, I think. I never had the fava beans before. They’re delicious.”

“And the wine, do you like it?” My father asked again. “It’s from a winery I sometimes visit, in Alentejo. They make the finest wines.”

“Yes, Andrea told me you are an oenologist. Actually, one of our clients seems to know you. Xavier Breton, do you know him? He’s a big fan of your work.” Victor was a far cry from the moody CEO everybody was used to. If any of his employees could see him relaxed and making conversation like this, they wouldn’t believe it.

“I heard of him. He owns a winery near Paris.” My father turned to me. “How come you never told me you were working with Xavier Breton? I could’ve given you some pointers.”

“Clearly she didn’t need them, given her results. And on that subject, we should make a toast.” My mother said, raising her glass. “To our Andy and a job well done!”

We all raised our glasses and drank. I still had the glass on my lips when I heard my mom again. She spoke in a deviously calm fashion, with a smile on her lips.

“Now Victor, do tell me, what are your intentions with my daughter?”

I somehow managed to keep myself from spraying the wine I had in mouth all over the table, but I still choked a little. Victor patted me on the back, his cheeks pink, as I tried to catch my breath. Nice going, Mom.

“You had to wait for her to drink to ask, didn’t you? Couldn’t avoid the scene.” My brother spoke quietly, his head low, as he focused on his food.

“Well, I may not be the typical meddling Portuguese mother, but I do feel entitled to some drama.” My mother joked. “So, Victor, you were saying?”

“The very best.” Victor’s voice came out a little higher than usual, so he cleared his throat. “I care very much for Andrea.”

“And how long have you been dating?” Cristina asked with dreamy eyes. You’re supposed to make them stop, not ask any more questions, Cristina.

“For about three months.” Victor said, reaching for his wine. He seemed cool and casual, but his jugular pulsing fast and hard told otherwise.

“Oh, so it’s recent. That’s why Andrea kept quiet all this time.” My mother smiled at me.

My father looked at us like we were speaking Klingon, surprised at the turn of events. He was a very bright man, but was also a bit naïve sometimes, completely oblivious to subtleties. An innocent soul, as my mother called him. Suddenly, he became somber.

“Son, I do hope you know what you are doing. Our Andy has been through enough.” He declared. I could just dig a whole and die there. My father just called Victor Lee, Loveland’s mogul and CEO of LFG, son.

“I do.” Victor nodded, looking at me. “I plan on making your daughter very happy.”

“Do you know what I did to the last guy that hurt my sister?” Joshua suddenly asked, throwing Victor a threatening look.

“Josh!” Me and Cristina reprimanded in unison. Victor sipped his wine like nothing had happened.

“I do. I would’ve done the same thing. Except, I wouldn’t get caught.” He answered, matter-of-factly.

“So you know.” My mother concluded, a surprised smile on her face. Victor nodded. “Don’t worry, Josh. I don’t think he’s like Daniel at all.” She eyed Victor, like she was analyzing him. “Victor seems to be from a different breed altogether. He seems to be a man of honor.”

“He is.” I said, smiling at Victor, giggling internally when I saw him blush again.

“Well, my mother is the best judge of character at this table, perhaps of the entire city. If she approves, I do too.” Josh extended his hand for Victor to shake. Victor took it, torn between shyness and satisfaction.

“Thank you.” He answered, looking more relaxed.

“You can stop blushing now, Andrea. The awkward part is over.” My mother teased, and that made my cheeks burn even more. “Tell me, Victor, for how long do we have you in Portugal?”

“I’ll have to leave tomorrow. I have a rather busy schedule, I can’t take any more personal days.”

“Lovely. Since Victor took these days to come and support you, it’s only fair that you make the best of his time and take him to visit Lisbon, don’t you think?” My mother turned to me, smiling suggestively.

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I would like to steal your daughter for the evening. I have something planned for us.”

My mother and Cristina exchanged glances, smiling.

“I don’t see why not.” My father chimed in. “You surely have better things to do than to entertain us old farts.”

“What do you think?” Victor turned to me.

“Wait, I do actually have a say in the matter?” I joked. “I would love to.” I smiled at Victor, caressing his knee under the table. Victor’s hand left his knife, holding my hand instead.

“Next time you two come here, we have to schedule a night out.” My brother chimed in, as Cristina nodded enthusiastically. “We can go to our old pub, you could watch my band perform, we could even convince Andrea to go on stage and sing and play the piano. She used to sing in our band, you know.”

“Now, that would be something to look forward to.” Victor’s eyes widened, as his interest peaked.

“Well, we can watch your band, but I will certainly not sing. Those days are over.” I warned.

“I’ll convince her to sing, don’t worry.” My brother whispered, winking at Victor.

“No you won’t!” I argued, as everybody started presenting reasons as to why I should sing.

Lisbon was incredibly sunny and warm that afternoon, despite being February. I took Victor to visit Belém and see our famous Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Belém’s Tower, and the outstanding Padrão dos Descobrimentos. We enjoyed the sun sitting at a table near the riverbank, the Tejo River keeping us company, as we drank coffee and had some pastéis de nata, a delicacy made of puff pastry and a silky custard-like cream.

Victor hummed as he ate his last piece of the confection, taking a sip of his coffee right after.

“You were right, Portugal is a lot warmer than Loveland.” He spoke as he turned towards the river to feel the breeze. He’d already taken off his jacket and tie, keeping only his white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the first two buttons of the collar undone. “Lisbon is a beautiful city.”

“I did ask you if you wanted to stop by your hotel to change.” I raised my eyebrows at Victor. “Are you too hot?”

“I’m fine.” He assured me. “Besides, if we went to my hotel room, we wouldn’t leave at all.” Victor smiled suggestively and got up, taking his cellphone from the table. “Come, let’s take a walk. I need some help digesting all the food that I ate.”

We watched the sunset touch the river as we sat on a park bench, holding hands. Victor was relaxed, happy, soft and I loved this side of him. He leaned on me, his nose brushing mine.

“Now it’s time for your surprise. Come, let’s go to the hotel.”

Victor was staying at the famous Palácio Belmonte, located in Alfama, one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in Lisbon. It was already dark when we arrived, so I spotted the large quantity of fairy lights illuminating the suite’s terrace right away.

“Dinner will be served in 15 minutes, Sir.” A butler came to us. “Would you like to have a drink while you wait?”

“A brandy, please.” Victor answered, fully in CEO mode. “What would you like to drink?” He turned to me, his voice softening.

“Same.” The butler left and we sat at the exquisitely decorated table. The light of the candles gave Victor a dreamy look, and I started imagining myself being held in his strong arms, his mouth tasting my skin. Something inside me, down south, clenched a little.

“I love my surprise, thank you.” I said, trying to take my mind off it.

“This is not your surprise. This is just us having dinner. The surprise is after dinner.”

I spent the entire meal hanging onto the edge of my seat, although playing it extremely cool. We talked about the city, the things he loved the most, my memories of the place. As the waiters were clearing the table, Victor led me to his bedroom.

“Wait here,” He said, as he sat me on the bed.

He returned with a velvet box. Slightly larger than the ones for rings. I opened it. It was a white gold charm bracelet, which already included some charms: a small silver Eiffel Tower, a tiny bottle with sand in it, a snowflake adorned with small crystals and the letter V.

“Victor…” I whispered. It was too much.

“Give me your hand.” He gently took my wrist and secured the bracelet around it, softly touching the charms one by one. “The Eiffel Tower represents our trip to Paris and our first kiss, the sand in the bottle is actually from Dubai…”

“The snowflake represents our first Christmas together, and the V stands for… you?” I finished.

“The V stands for victory, you achieving what you have worked so hard for. The fact that it also stands for Victor is a happy coincidence. But maybe it will remind you of me when you look at it.” He smiled at me.

I wrapped my arms around Victor, and he immediately placed his hands on my waist, bringing his face closer to mine.

“I don’t need a bracelet or a charm to think of you. You’re always on my mind as it is.” I said, brushing my nose against his. “Now… Does the surprise have a part two?” I whispered seductively in his ear, which made Victor take a deep breath.

“What do you have in mind?” His low voice rumbled in his chest.

“I don’t know…” I smiled mischievously at him, my fingers running down his chest. “I have been wanting to get rid of this for a while now.” I said, tugging at his shirt.

To the point as usual, Victor kissed me passionately, as he slowly laid me on his bed.

#Growing Pains - Series #growingpains #mlqc victor #victor x oc #mlqc li zeyan #mlqc fanfic #mister love queens choice #love and producer

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moonstruckbucky · 6 years

Text

Fool for You [one-shot]

Summary: You want Bucky, but Bucky wants somebody else.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Warnings: Angst. Lots of angst. Some self-deprecating thoughts, insecurity. Language because my potty mouth. Bucky’s a dick. Not a happy ending. You’ve been warned.

Notes: Inspired by Linger by the Cranberries, but keep in mind it’s not a song fic! I’ve been in such a writing funk lately. I hope this doesn’t totally suck. Enjoy! x

She’s funny. Her joke has Sam wheezing, Steve snorting, and Bucky chuckling. Even Nat has quirked a small grin. They’re so busy recovering their breath that no one sees the absolutely moon-eyed look Bucky directs at her.

Nobody but you.

It’s hard to ignore the rising bitterness in your throat as you sit on the couch, once ensconced in your novel until Sam began hooting like a broken trumpet, a result of her well-timed joke. Of course she’s funny. She has just about everything else going for her, including Widow’s respect, which is a national treasure all on its own.

She isn’t an Avenger, but she may as well be since she’s in the tower so much. It makes your stomach curdle. The super soldier at her side curls a loving arm around her shoulders, drops a kiss onto her hair, and the gesture has her beaming.

And Bucky looks about the same way you feel.

Because Bucky had to go and catch feelings for his best friend’s girl.

He thinks no one knows, but you’re his best friend. Of course you know. You know because he looks at her the same way you do him. You scoff quietly.

Cliches suck.

A weight drops onto the couch cushion beside you.

Careful, Y/N. Green isn’t really your color.

Wanda. Normally you take issue with the fact that Wanda sometimes implants herself in your head, but other times, like now, you’re thankful for it. Explaining it to anyone else makes shame bubble up in your gut.

You give Wanda a single, meaningful glance before your gaze is ultimately drawn back over your shoulder. She, Cassandra, is in the middle of telling a story that has everyone’s rapt attention, Steve looking down at her fondly while it goes unnoticed that Bucky is doing the same. You’re not sure if he realizes he’s doing it, but considering he’s doing it in front of Widow tells you he isn’t.

A quick glance at Nat shows her eyes bouncing between Bucky and Cassandra. Ah, so it wasn’t missed by the scarily-observant super spy. She catches your eye next, an entire conversation being wordlessly spoken. You avert your gaze with a sigh and miss the quizzical little head tilt Nat gives.

When Cassandra’s laughter bubbles up again, you can’t stand it anymore. Wanda frowns up at you as you stand, finger tucked into your book to save your place. You leave the room, wincing as the laughter picks up again.

Inside the confines of your room, you abandon your book to sit on the floor at the foot of your bed, your back against the mattress and box spring. You never meant to be part of probably the stupidest cliche to ever exist, yet here you are. And like that stupid cliche, you have no idea how it even happened.

Somewhere along the path of Bucky’s re-self-discovery, you fell for the man he’d become. Not the Soldier, not the smooth talking ladies’ man of the 40s, but someone somewhere in between. More self-assured than he’s ever been, though not without his faults or his setbacks. Really, though, how could you not have seen this coming?

You sigh into the dark, knees propped up and elbows resting upon them so you can drop your head into your hands. It’s stupid—pathetic, really—how your mind automatically begins to compare you to Cassandra, regardless of the fact that she’s taken. It’s more so because she has Bucky’s full attention, that moon-eyed look solely meant for her that you so wish was directed at you.

You’re a teammate, his close friend, and it seems that’s all you’ll ever be to him. It hurts, coming to that conclusion, knowing you’re one of those girls unfortunately and unfairly destined to experience unrequited love. You laugh mirthlessly to yourself and shake your head, tangle your fingers in your hair and tug, just a little, just enough to ground you before your mind sucks you into a maelstrom of self-pity.

You know sooner or later you’ll have to come clean to Nat, if the perceptive redhead hasn’t already put it together. Wanda is your closest friend aside from Bucky, but Natasha’s scary wisdom beyond her years comes in handy, especially in the tough situations.

You can’t imagine a situation any tougher than this.

So it comes as no surprise as, the next morning, the Black Widow corners you in the kitchen. You don’t bother to hide; stubbornness is one of Nat’s lesser, but more prominent, qualities, and she’s patient as all get out. Instead, you lead her back to your bedroom and spill. She doesn’t interrupt, only listens intently with her head tilted in that feline manner she has.

“Well, that’s quite a predicament,” she notes when you finish. Grumbling unintelligibly, you suck down your coffee. She leans back on her hands beside you. “So I take it there is zero chance of you talking to Bucky about it?”

“Why would I?” you retort, but Nat isn’t offended. “The only thing that’ll accomplish is ensuring our friendship is toast. Burnt as fuck, crispy toast. Plus, I’m not really in the mood to be humiliated when he says he doesn’t return my feelings.”

“How do you know he wouldn’t?”

“Uh, hello, I know you of all people didn’t miss the absolute head-over-heels look he gave her yesterday.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like he’s going to act on that. Steve would pummel him, and it would probably end their friendship.”

“Regardless, I’m not having that conversation with him. I’m just gonna...keep a lid on it and act as if nothing’s off.”

Nat scoffs and you shoot her a look. “Honey, even if I wasn’t me I wouldn’t miss the looks you give him when someone’s not looking.”

You open your mouth and then promptly shut it. Releasing a sigh, you rub your temples. “Okay, so then what do I do? If I pull away he’s going to know something’s up. He’s far too much like you.”

Nat, for once, is rendered clueless on how to proceed. Then, with an actual physical shake of her body, she says, “Okay, so you pretty much have three options. Option one, continue as normal, hide your feelings, be his best friend, and ultimately, probably spontaneously combust because you’re keeping them down instead of letting them out. Option two, tell him, risk the chance that your friendship might change or Bucky will decide to pull his head out of his ass and not make moon-eyes at a taken woman, thus eventually falling in love with you and the two of you live happily ever after. Option three, you start dating. Outside the Tower. Run the risk that you’ll find someone who completes you instead of pining for a guy who might not.”

“That’s it, huh?” you deadpan. Truthfully, none of those options sounds appealing, but more than likely you’re going for option one.

Option one, it turns out, is a goddamn pain in the ass to stick to. In order to throw off Nat’s, and even Sam’s, suspicions that he’s into his best friend’s girl, Bucky has latched himself onto you. Normally, this would be, well, normal. Now? It’s downright impossible to bite your tongue from telling him what’s been cooking up in your head, damn near inconceivable to not lean into him when he sits a little closer to you at movie night.

The little niggling feeling in the back of your head tells you he has tricks up his sleeve, but you brush it off for now and bask in the slightly spice scent of his cologne.

Some weeks later, you’re faring no better. It’s growing even more difficult to bottle your feelings up and stow them in the back of your mind, especially when Bucky’s clinginess seems to multiply tenfold. You aren’t dumb, or naive for that matter, when you realize the only time he’s right on top of you is when Steve and Cassandra are present. When you first put it together, no words in the English dictionary are sufficient enough to describe the painful pang in your heart.

Yet you let it continue.

Nat criticizes you more than once, as does Wanda (who’s admittedly a bit gentler with her approach, but Nat was never one for beating around a bush). You promise both of them you’ll confront him soon, draw a line in the sand that he can’t use you to make his best friend’s girl jealous.

Plus, his plan isn’t working anyways. Cassandra remains both in the dark and unaffected by what he’s doing, and she merely smiles genuinely when she notices Bucky’s arm around your shoulder or waist. As soon as she and Steve leave the room, his arm drops and his shoulders droop. It makes you angry, and it’s why you suddenly begin to dodge his advances. You stop playing along to his chagrin and befuddlement, and the fact that he’s even confused by your refusal to go along with it reignites your ire.

How dare he abuse your friendship, wordlessly expect you to go along with a pointless attempt to make Cassandra jealous? It’s callous and a little cruel of him; you thought you were friends. Friends didn’t treat each other like toys or tools to just use at one’s convenience. Even more than that, with Bucky’s sudden attention on you all the time, as superficial as it is, it only intensifies your feelings for him—both the positive and the negative.

On the one hand, a large, secret part of you revels in being pressed up against him so often, absorbing his warmth and being able to pretend, for just a little while, that his feelings for you aren’t a scheme, that they’re genuine. The smaller, more logical part of you knows you can’t let this continue, and it finally all comes to a head when Bucky asks of you something so unbelievably selfish that you snap.

“I’m sorry, you want to what?” you ask, turning your ear to him as if you hadn’t heard him correctly.

“We should sleep together,” he repeats with a careless shrug. He seems surprised when your gaze hardens and ignites all at once.

“Why? So you can continue your pointless scheme of trying to make Cassandra jealous? Is that why?” you accuse icily. Bucky takes a small step back, mouth opening and closing similar to a fish as he searches for something to say. You beat him to it. “No, Bucky, I won’t sleep with you to go along with your stupid fucking plan of pursuing a taken woman, much less the woman who’s dating your best fucking friend. I’m not stupid; I know what you’ve been doing, and I can’t even believe you would abuse our friendship like that, use me the way you have, without a second thought. Do my feelings mean absolutely nothing to you? Do you know how hard it’s been coming to grips with the fact that, while I struggle with my feelings, for you, you only see me as something to use, something to exploit?”

Bucky’s face continues to fall as you rant, unleashing every pent up thought and emotion. Your voice covers a range of emotion—anger, sadness, hurt—all in a matter of seconds that he nearly has whiplash. Bucky’s always had a strong poker face, but even he can’t hide the feelings rolling through him. The one he settles on is shame. Good.

“You...you have feelings for me?” he questions, quiet and meek.

You scoff. “Right now, I really wish I fucking didn’t. You aren’t who I thought you were, Bucky. Not even close. I was willing to let it go that you wouldn’t feel the same way for me, I’ve accepted that. What I won’t accept is being used as if our friendship means absolute shit to you.”

“No, honey, that’s not—” He stops when you shake your head, teeth clenched tightly and jaw wobbling as you fight to hold back your tears of hurt and heartbreak.

“It was what you were doing, Bucky, and I want no part of it. In fact, I think it’s better you and I don’t speak.”

Bucky looks crestfallen, regret and agony and the will to plead for your forgiveness swimming in his eyes. Bucky’s poker face was ace, but his eyes gave him away and you’d become an expert at reading them. Even if it’s not what he’d intended when he began this hairbrained plan, it’s what happened, and you had been caught in the crossfire.

“Ever?” he asks, a sob ripping from his throat while those pale eyes brim with tears. You glance away for a moment, but then you bravely meet his gaze, holding it.

“Ever,” you confirm. Your face remains stoic but inside your chest your heart splinters and cracks. It’s so painful to break off your most treasured friendship, but Bucky had taken advantage of you, whether or not he had been aware of your feelings. You voice this aloud. “I can accept you not returning my feelings, but I can’t forgive you for taking advantage of me. That’s not what friends do. Goodbye Bucky.”

The door closes softly in his face and Bucky leans his head against the wood, face crumbling as he lets himself go. How could he have been so stupid?

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky x you #bucky barnes/reader #bucky barnes/you #marvel #marvel fanfiction #bucky angst

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heyyyharry · 5 years

Text

Chapter 1: Honeymoon

(from the Flatmate Trilogy: Two Hearts, One Home)

...in which Y/N and Harry go to Greece for their honeymoon and run into a couple they hate.

Warning: a bit of smut, sex jokes, overusing curse words because I’m a sailor, cheeky Harry, drunk Y/N, adorably aggressive Y/N, protective Harry, aaaaaand you might want to slap some fictional characters.

Word count: 6.7k

Wattpad book

A/N: Wait no more folks, your beloved couple are FINALLY BACK! Tell me what you think about the chapter. - Allie.

"Kalosirthate stin Ellada!"

"Danke schön!" Harry waved at the doorman who gave him a weird look as he dragged his luggage into the resort lobby. Y/N tugged at his arm, covering her mouth so she wouldn't laugh too hard and draw even more attention to them.

"You just said 'thank you very much' in German, H!"

"Wasn't what he said in German?"

"He said 'welcome to Greece' in Greek because we're in Greece! Why would a staff in a Greek resort speak German?!"

When seeing how amazed he was, Y/N could't help but chuckle as she interlocked their fingers, flashing him a cheeky grin. "I may or may not have done a bit of research."

"Aww, my wife's gonna be my little translator on this trip."

"Your wife only knows 'good morning' and 'good night' so you're not so lucky, Mr. Styles," she said, tip-toeing to peck his lips, but he was quick to lock one arm around her waist to kiss her passionately. That kiss could've turned into a full make out session if she hadn't come to her senses and pushed him away.

"Can you be horny later when we're alone?"

Her pink cheeks made Harry snort in amusement. He ran his hand up and down her back to rest dangerously close to her bum, which looked extra good in this vintage dress, he must say. "We're married. People know we fuck."

"We do, just not in the resort lobby after arriving only five minutes ago," she told him, rolling her eyes.

With his arm wrapped around her, they headed towards the front desk for the check-in procedures and finally received their keys. That moment was by far the happiest they'd ever been since their wedding night. After all, they were on their romantic honeymoon, on a beautiful island in Greece, and they were gonna be there for an entire week, just the two of them. It almost seemed like nothing could go wrong.

Almost.

"Harold?!"

When Harry heard that voice he thought he was hallucinating. But as the voice got louder and more annoying, causing all the other guests as well as the staff to stare at him. He knew it was real.

"Honey?" His wife mumbled, she was also rooted to her spot. "Did you hear that or was it just me?"

"Oh God...I heard it too..." He sucked in a breath, turning around slowly as she did the same. Of all the annoying people he'd come across in his entire life up to this point, it just had to be his mortal enemy — his cousin Mason.

Despite Harry's hostile glare, the older Styles was beaming. "What a lovely coincidence! Are you two on honeymoon?"

"Are you here to ruin my life?"

The question made Mason chuckle. "You're still funny, Harold. Still funny. I'm actually on a summer vacation with my baby girl. Oh, there she is, my flower!"

"Sweet cheeks! My baby!"

"I think I'm gonna throw up..." Y/N whispered to her husband, receiving a smirk from him.

Stephanie showed up, wearing the biggest hat that covered half of her face as she strutted towards the three of them in her yellow summer dress. She'd left all of her heavy luggage to the poor resort staff, who nearly got hit in the head by her throwing her handbag at him.

"The other Styles!" She giggled, finally taking off her hat to pull the other couple into a hug. If Harry hadn't pushed her away, who knew how long she would've kept squeezing them? "We missed your wedding! I think your invitation got lost in the mail!"

"Bold of you to think we sent you one."

Y/N quickly nudged Harry as she chuckled nervously. "It's alright, Steph...We also missed your wedding so..."

"We'll come to your second ones!"

Stephanie and her husband both fell about laughing at her rude joke. The kind of looks Harry and Y/N exchanged at that moment couldn't be more obvious that they'd rather set themselves on fire than continue this dumb conversation. They were just too nice (or at least Y/N was) to say 'fuck off' and walk away.

"We're going to our room now," Y/N said, holding Harry's arm. "Nice talking to you."

"Bye Harry! Bye Y/N!"

Y/N heard Stephanie loud and clear but she didn't look back and just stride as fast as possible towards the lift.

"See you tonight at the bar, Harold!"

Harry, on the other hand, responded to his cousin with a middle finger in the air, and once again Y/N had to tug at his sleeve to tell him to be polite.

"Such a funny kid," Mason told his wife with a grin, before heading to the front desk.

The newlyweds' first day on the island wasn't so bad, minus the encounter with the other annoying couple that they hated more than Mondays. They got to spend a lot of time together soaked in the sun and the golden sand, and not thinking about the responsibilities they had back in London. As busy as they were with their own jobs, they rarely had time to have fun like they used to back when they were students. Now was the one chance for them to try everything they hadn't done before.

"I hope nearly fucking your husband on the beach while being drunk off your ass was on your bucket list." Harry laughed as he dragged his wife out of the lift, and struggled to get the room card from his pocket while she was clinging onto him like a koala.

Normally, he would stop her from drinking too much. He always knew she could barely handle alcohol, but since they were on vacation, he made it an exception and let her do whatever she wanted. As a result, she was wasted and he was exhausted from making sure she didn't cause any trouble. His wife was a fun drunk, but every time she drank too much, it was always hard work for him. He had to make sure she didn't walk straight into a lamppost, get hit by a car for dancing on the street, or take off her clothes in public because she thought they were alone.

"I hate you," she mumbled, shoving two fingers in his face as he opened the door. "Two days into our marriage...and you already don't want to have sex with me anymore!"

"Sure if you didn't count those two orgasms earlier." Harry laughed quietly. He just loved having silly conversations with her while she was not in her right mind to make any sense.

With a bit of difficulty, he shut the door after they'd got in, and somehow managed to put her down on their bed. That was when Y/N started giggling like a madwoman, watching her husband stand with both hands on his hips and a confused grin on his face.

"Hubby, come give me a kiss!" She tried to open her eyes to look at him, but they were fighting to stay shut, so she just opened her arms and gave him a silly grin. Harry took off her shoes as well as his own, then fell down onto the bed right by her side. He propped himself up on his elbow, pressing his lips to her temple.

"No! A real kiss!" Y/N pouted. She didn't wait for his reaction to grab him by the collar of his shirt and kiss him hard on the mouth. Harry was a bit shocked considering how shy Y/N was most of the time. Actually, she'd gained much more confidence after that many years they'd been together. But shyness was just her nature, and he loved that about her.

Only when she'd had a couple drinks did she get this bold. This was certainly not the first time, but Harry didn't think he could ever grow used to it. Soon he was right between her legs, one hand supporting his own weight as the other held her by the hip. Her black dress rose up to reveal the black lace underwear he'd got for her. He intended to make a cheeky comment about it, yet she was already unbuttoning his shirt.

"Baby, you're really drunk," he whispered against her lips, chuckling lowly as she groaned like a spoiled little girl who didn't get the pony she asked for.

"We're not on the beach anymore," she reasoned, eyebrows furrowed at him and opened his shirt to get her hands on his bare chest.

"Jesus Christ, baby. Greece really does make you horny, huh?"

"You make me horny."

Harry was taken aback for the second time that night, not only by her confidence but also by her flipping them over to straddle him. He tried to speak, yet she covered his mouth with her own, pressing both hands on his chest, pushing him down.

"Baby, I—"

She shushed him immediately. Holding his gaze, she moved slowly downward, wasting no time to pull down his shorts and wrapped her hands around his pulsing member. A growl escaped his throat as he shuddered at the feeling of her hot breath against him. When she gave him a slight squeeze, his hips buckled up, urging her to give him more. He was leaking and desperate for her touch, definitely not in the position to call it quit at this point.

"I've got you in the palm of my hand," she said in a sing-song voice. "Literally."

The sound of her name escaped his pink lips in a breathy tone. When he saw the way her pupils dilate even in the dim moonlight from their balcony door, he knew he was fucked.

"I've been a good girl." Fuck. "Let me suck you off, please?" Fuck. Me.

Harry exhaled harshly, too out of his mind to even think straight as he stroked her hair. "Y-Yes...yes, you are...Fuck..."

She nodded, finally giving him a few slow strokes. Harry's eyes squeezed shut in an instant as his entire face contorted. He was afraid this would end so quickly that her forgetting all about tonight might seem like a good thing. Just as he was about to ask her to go faster, a loud thump! caused Y/N to sit up straight, eyes just as wide as his. The bed in the room next door was violently banging against the wall, as the couple over there didn't make an effort to keep it down.

"Fuck yeah, baby! Fuck me! Fuck me hard!"

"What the fuck is...that?" A look of terror flashed across Harry's face when he made eye-contact with a giggly Y/N. She had no idea what was going on, but everything was hilarious to her when she was drunk. As much as he wanted to ignore that horny couple to go back to his own business, he couldn't even think with all the noises those people were making. In a second, he sat up and tucked himself back inside his shorts, pecking Y/N's lips as he told her he would go talk to them.

"No." She shook her head, hands on his shoulders. "Stay with me, Harry...I need you."

Harry's self-control unraveled when she moaned his name that way. Nodding fast, he attached their mouths once again as she cupped his cheeks and kissed him with everything she'd got. He tried to focus on her, he really did, until he heard the name of the last person he wanted to think of when he was about to have sex with his wife.

"Mason! Yes, that's right baby!"

"No, no, non no!" Harry cried out, pulling away immediately. Though Y/N wasn't sober enough to get disgusted by the other two, she still agreed to get off her husband and follow him outside. As he knocked on the room next door, she hugged him from behind and rested her head on his back. Drunk Y/N always got a bit clingy, and Harry loved it actually. If only he could pay attention to her and take care of her instead of having to deal with his fucked up cousin.

When he knocked a couple more times, it was Stephanie who came to open the door, wearing only her lingerie. Harry had to stare at the ceiling while silently thanking god that the woman wasn't naked.

"Oh, Harry and Y/N! What a surprise! We were just—"

"Yes, we know. Please stop," he spoke fast, leaving Stephanie speechless. She parted her smudged red lips to say something, but then Mason showed up, unlike his wife, he was completely naked under his white bathrobe which wasn't even tied at the front.

Harry immediately covered Y/N's eyes, dashing his own back on Mason's face so he wouldn't have to look at that thing for another second. Y/N might've seen it too because she was trying so hard to contain her laughter.

"Put your dick away, for fuck's sake!"

"Sorry, I forgot," said the older man who quickly tied the strings together to cover himself up.

Stephanie gave the other couple one last glance before telling Mason she'd wait for him in bed. Harry really wished he could listen to those words without thinking about the thing he'd heard earlier in his room. How was he gonna sleep tonight if that was what he might wake up to?

"Can we talk?" he narrowed his eyes at Mason. It was clear he was losing his temper, but he was still trying to be as nice as he possibly could. Because treat people with kindness right? Yeah, people, not Mason. Fuck Mason.

"Wait for me inside, love," Harry said to his wife, who pouted yet listened to him anyway.

"Don't take too long," she told him before retreating to their room. Harry watched the door close behind her as he heaved a sigh. This conversation wouldn't have been necessary if he could've just punched the asshole. But on second thought, he shouldn't waste a good hit on someone like him.

"What the fuck was this?" Harry asked, throwing his hands in the air. "I get that you always feel the need to prove that you're better than me, but to book the same fucking resort, and the room right next to mine just to piss me off is what only a psychopath would do!"

"You self-centered prick." Mason scoffed, leaning against the door. "You really think everything I do is about you?"

Harry lifted his eyebrow. "I don't think. I know everything you do is because you cannot stand the fact that Y/N and I are happier than you and Steph."

"Oh please. The last thing I worry about is you being better than me at anything."

"The next time you say that, make sure to keep your tiny friend covered." Harry didn't even bother to stay and see his cousin's reaction to the comment. He stormed back to his room, hoping Mason would get insecure enough to keep the noise down when they—

"Y/N?" Harry asked, but there was not a single sound except for his wife's soft snoring as she was now sprawling across their bed. It'd be a lie to say he was disappointed, but seeing her adorable sleeping face really made him happy again. In silence, he lied down by her side, trying not to cause too much movement and wake her up.

"You forgot to say you love me tonight, drunkie." His eyelids fluttered from exhaustion as he watched Y/N smiling in her sleep. Even though he couldn't read her mind, he'd like to think that it was him she was dreaming about. So while stroking her hair the way she liked, he mumbled to her what he never forgot to say every night before bed. "You're my entire world, and I really love you."

Then he drifted off gradually.

The next morning, as expected, Y/N barely remembered anything.

"Beside me talking to a palm tree..." she cringed, trying to recollect the night before, but all that she could remember was asking Harry to dance with her on the beach. "Did I do anything else embarrassing?"

"You tried to tear off my clothes and begged to suck me off," said Harry as he took a sip of his orange juice, flashing her a subtle smirk when her face reddened, certainly not because of the heat out here. What was better than having breakfast by the ocean, feeling the cool breezes on a hot summer day, and poking fun at your wife for the silly things she did when she was drunk? He was having the best morning.

"I remember that..." She mumbled, stealing a glance at him while his eyes were glued on her.

"You what?"

"Not everything...only a bit."

Harry raised an eyebrow when she pouted at him. He knew she wanted him to change the subject, but he enjoyed teasing her too much to let her off that easily.

"You weren't this shy when you literally asked me to fuck you on the beach last night." He chuckled, making her blush even harder as she kicked his leg under the table.

"There are children around here! They might hear you!"

Now that she mentioned, Harry looked around and noticed a family of four sitting right beside them. The parents were too caught up in their own conversation to hear what he was saying, and the child around four was singing while playing with her action figures. Harry's laughter died down soon, yet the smile lingered on his face when the little girl saw him looking and waved at him. He waved back, feeling his heart flutter somehow.

Y/N didn't see what was going on as she was texting this whole time. She had to give her mother updates on basically everything she'd been doing (beside her getting drunk and them having sex every single chance they got), because to her mother apparently, she'd stopped growing since the age of fourteen.

"What?" Y/N flinched to meet her husband's eyes when she turned back to him. He was just smiling at her in silence with his chin resting on his knuckles. She couldn't figure out what that meant. "Is there something on my face?"

"Beauty." His unexpected answer got her laughing.

"See? This is why I don't believe in your compliments anymore." She rolled her eyes and told him to eat since they had some sightseeing to do later. Harry didn't mind his breakfast getting cold though. His eyes stayed on Y/N, watching her slightly nodding her head to the song on the vintage radio at the bar. His lips curved to form a little grin.

He didn’t tell her what was on his mind when the kid at the other table waved at him. They had agreed to wait another year or two before making the big decision. Right now, they couldn’t spend much time with their cat let alone a human baby. But Harry thought it wouldn’t hurt to just imagine a new life with not only the two of them, but also little versions of them running around the house. He really looked forward to it.

For the rest of the afternoon, somehow they managed to stay away from Mason and Stephanie and had the best time of their life exploring the island. Thus they assumed their second day here would continue to be this great. What they forgot was that, every time they drew a conclusion this early, they ended up with at least one disappointing surprise towards the end.

"Harold."

"Jesus Christ," Harry muttered as he turned away from the bar and gave his cousin a death glare. "Do I need to file a restraining order?"

Normally Y/N would remind him to tone down his feelings of hatred, but after last night (Harry had filled her in on everything that she didn't remember) it was hard to continue being nice. She was just trying her best not to laugh at how offended both Mason and Stephanie seemed.

"I'm here to apologize actually. I hope we can forget what happened as we were all drunk anyway," Mason said, giving out his hand for Harry to shake. But instead of doing just that, Harry glanced at the hand, back to Mason's face. With a sarcastic smile, he straight off said, "no."

"No?"

"No, now leave us alone."

"Come on, Harold. You cannot blame me for what happened to your father's company."

Harry squinted his eyes as soon as he heard. "What are you talking about?"

Mason and Stephanie exchanged looks as if they were also surprised that Harry had no clue about his father's decision. Quickly, Stephanie grabbed Y/N by the arm, pulling the perplexed young woman out of her chair.

"Come swim with me, Y/N!"

"No, thanks. I...can't swim," Y/N muttered, turning to her husband for help, but he was too busy staring at his cousin in disbelief to notice her.

"Just come with me, so they can talk," Stephanie insisted. She didn't even give Y/N time to say no and just dragged her out of the restaurant anyway. It was then that Harry finally got a grip on reality. He shifted in his chair, eyebrows furrowed as he asked Mason to explain everything.

"Devlin's gonna sell Styles Corporation. I gave him that idea."

"Wait, what?" Harry's mouth fell open. Mason, on the other hand, sat down and ordered a beer as he remained impassive. Harry completely understood that Mason had nothing to do with Styles Corporation, thus it was normal for him to not feel anything. What made Harry angry, was the fact that Mason had suggested Devlin to sell the brainchild he probably loved more than his real ones.

"He's sacrificed a lot to build his own empire from scratch! You can't just convince him to sell it!" Harry slammed his hand onto the counter, receiving a few questioning glances from the other people, yet he was too upset to care.

"You think my opinion alone could get your old man to sell the company?" Mason snorted. "It's Devlin we're talking about here."

"Then why—"

"He cannot run it forever, Harold. Your sister is a travel photographer, you were his only hope until you turned on him at the last minute. What choice does he have left?"

Harry's heart fell as he heard those words. He hadn't expected that news, especially for it to come from his least favorite person on the planet. Though he was still mad at Devlin for choosing the company over his own son, and not showing up at the wedding over saying sorry, he honestly felt bad for the fate of Styles Corporation. It obviously was a stab in the guts to hand everything you'd built up from the ground up to strangers. But what could Harry do to change it? He couldn't leave his wife here, or convince her to leave her job and move to San Francisco.

With his head in his hand, Harry began to ponder, which was the last thing he should do now that he was supposed to be on a vacation. Fuck everything, he thought. Fuck Mason for telling him this, for being here, and for existing. He blamed it on Mason because it was easier this way. He didn't have to face the music, knowing it was his own fault.

Y/N and Harry weren't strangers to bad luck, but this was a whole new level.

All she had wanted was a drama free honeymoon with the love of her life and to spend everyday under the sun or getting naked and tangling up in bed. Now here she was, taking Instagram photos for Stephanie by the resort pool, while Harry was probably being tortured by Mason boasting about things that nobody cared about.

"Shit, you're right. The lighting sucks," Stephanie mumbled in annoyance as she checked the photos on her phone.

Y/N really wanted to be frank and tell the girl only idiots would expect moonlight to look flattering on photos taken by an iPhone, but she thought it would be quite mean and decided to be subtly sarcastic instead.

"Maybe you should choose a better time when there's the sun?"

"I cannot stand too long in the sun, I get burnt easily," Stephanie chuckled, too busy staring at photos of herself to see that eye-roll Y/N had just given her.

"I think I should get back to my husband."

"Wait!" Stephanie took the girl's wrist before she could turn away, pulling her back. "Look, since we're kind of like sisters now—"

Fuck me, muttered the voice inside Y/N's head as she widened her eyes and faked a grin.

"I just wanna be honest with you." Stephanie took a deep breath, lifting an eyebrow. "Why Harry?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you're kinda smart. You really wanna spend the rest of your life with someone like him?"

Excuse me?

"Harry is the smartest man I know."

And YOU shouldn't be judging him when you're the dumbest person I know.

"If he was so smart, he wouldn't have turned down an opportunity to be the future CEO of the Styles Corporation. Unlike Mason, he's a disappointment in the family."

"No. Mason got everything from pure luck. Harry, on the other hand, has worked hard for the things that he loves. He's got a career and a bright future, and I'm very proud of him." Y/N knew she shouldn't be fuming over the words of someone as shallow as Stephanie, yet she couldn't help but get all riled up when all of those insults were for her husband.

"How's he gonna take care of you and buy you nice clothes with his salary now?" Stephanie's argument made Y/N laugh, definitely not because it was funny.

"I have my own job and I can buy my own clothes." She furrowed her brows, stabbing a finger at the blonde who was slightly surprised by the reaction she received. "You, however, live off your husband because without him you are nothing. Face it, Steph, you're going nowhere with your non-existent model career."

"Excuse me?" Stephanie gasped. It was funny how offended she got after having said all those mean things about Harry earlier.

"Yeah, you heard me." This time, Y/N wouldn't give this woman the satisfaction she wanted. "Don't you ever talk shit about my husband again. Are we clear?"

"Oh you're threatening me?" The part-time model scoffed as she flipped her hair. "What are you gonna do? You think I'm scared of a weak little girl who cannot swim?"

"Well, I hope you can."

"What do you—AHHHHH!"

"Mom! That lady just pushed the other lady into the pool!"

Harry flew right out of his chair after hearing what the little girl said to her mother. He rushed outside in a flash, worrying it might be Y/N and Stephanie for he knew his cousin's wife was crazy as fuck. So if anything happened to—

"Honey?"

Yes, it was Y/N and Stephanie. But his wife was standing by the pool, dry and safe, while the other girl was screaming and struggling violently in the water like a drowning cat.

"You crazy bitch! You fucking psychopath! Get me out of here! Help! Anyone?!"

"Drop the act! This is a kiddie pool!" Y/N shouted at Stephanie as Harry gave his woman a smirk, looking shocked and proud at the same time. "Say those things about my husband again, and I'll push you off a cliff!"

Morally speaking, Harry should care about the fact that his wife had assaulted his cousin's wife, and all the other guests were judging them so hard right now. But all that he really cared about was how much seeing her like this turned him on. This was the first time he'd got to witness the protective side of Y/N, so fucking badass. And he was certainly not disappointed at all.

Go wifey!

"You okay, baby?"

"I'm fin—"

"Of course she's okay! She's a lunatic!" Stephanie screamed as she climbed out of the pool and Mason showed up with a towel to cover her up.

"What the fuck, mate?" He snarled at Harry, pointing at Y/N. "Your wife just threatened to push my wife off a cliff!"

"Oh please Mason, you two aren't saints." Harry rolled his eyes. He didn't know what those two expected, as if he hadn't thought of pushing one them off a cliff before.

"Come on, honey, let's go," said Y/N as she took her husband's hand and turned to walk away. It could've ended there, with no one getting hurt (besides Stephanie who was soaked from head to toes), but just as expected, Mason never wanted to miss a chance to say the last words.

"Your wife is bitch."

"What did you just say?"

"I said, your wife is a—" Mason was cut off by a fist in the face that knocked him to the ground. While everyone else who'd witnessed that punch was in utter shock, Harry had never felt better. He'd wanted to do that for his whole life.

Before Mason could pick himself up and wipe the blood off his nose, Harry and Y/N had already fled the scene. The last thing they wanted was to get into trouble for causing disruption. At first, Y/N was really scared though it wasn't the first time she'd seen Harry hit someone. But as soon as they made it to the beach, she started squealing in joy.

"That was amazing! I pushed her into the pool, and you punched him in the face! We're like the best couple ever!"

The way she was all giggly and bouncing up and down like a child made Harry laugh so hard. He took her hand and pulled her back into his arms. Hers came wrapped around his waist like an instinct.

"You're too happy for someone who just assaulted a woman," he said, stroking her cheeks to gain back a smile.

"Now I know why Layla does things like this! She'll be so proud of me when I tell her!"

"Oh no." Harry faked a frown. "Should I be worried that you're turning into Layla?"

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I only Layla for you." Her answer got him chuckling and shaking his head.

"She's gonna kill us both if she knows we're using her as a verb," he said, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. "But thank you, for defending me."

"No one." Y/N narrowed her eyes as she emphasized those two words. "No one is allowed to make fun of my husband, beside me."

"Aww."

"Aaaand Layla, because you know, I'm afraid of her."

They held each other while laughing. It was nice for Harry to stop thinking about his father's company, and enjoying the presence of the woman he loved instead. They continued walking barefoot along the beach, listening to the lullaby of the waves, and breathing deeply the ocean carried air. It was romantic at first with the starry sky right above them. But all it took was one moment, when both of them stopped and just stared at each other, for their self-control to cave in at once.

The next thing they knew was them hiding in the shadow of a palm tree, she was pressed against the brick wall, with her legs wrapped around his waist, and her hands in his hair. His shorts were halfway down his ass and her panties were somewhere on the sand. She would definitely not put them back on after they were done.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Harry tried not to be rough, but he making sure every thrust was worthwhile. He dragged his lips down her jawline as she filled his ears with her angelic whimpers that he could never get tired of.

"I love you so much," he said, gripping her ass to move her hips in sync with his own.

"I love you too." She let a soft gasp escape when he hit just the right spot that caused her eyes to roll upward, and the sound of his name to pour out from her wet lips. She was too lost in the moment to care if anyone heard her. There was not a single soul around anyway, so Harry didn't bother to silence his wife, not when he loved how vocal she was just for him.

"Shit love...I..." He thrust faster, face contorted from pleasure. "Gonna come..."

"Fill me." Those breathless words and her grinding down on him to get him deeper was all it took for Harry to explode, groaning into her mouth as he felt her walls squeezing around him. Her eyes fell shut, her head tossed back, and now she couldn't stop whimpering meaningless words, the only thing that made sense was his name.

"We finally had sex on the beach, you happy?" He jokingly asked while still catching his breath, his hooded eyes stared right into hers.

"You're a dick," she said, smiling at the way his eyes sparkled in the dark like those stars right above them. That playful insult only made him chortle. He brought his mouth back on hers to kiss her tenderly.

"And also your husband, so you're stuck with this dick for the rest of your life," he spoke against her lips, causing her to dissolve into laughter. Harry temporarily forgot about the fate of his father's company, and the stress he felt thinking he was the reason for it. At this moment, there were only them and them alone, though he knew it couldn't be them forever. When this week was over they would have to return to their busy lives. So now he must hold her closer, not wanting another second to go to waste.

"Harry! Did you know that Niall almost lost Treasure when he took her to the mall with him?" Y/N said the second she showed up at their bedroom door with the cat in her arms. Harry had just finished getting dressed for work. He turned away from the mirror and flashed his wife a cheeky grin.

"Did Treasure tell you that?"

She snorted, rolling her eyes and put the cat down on their bed to come fix his collar. "Layla told me...We should let Ben and Nam watch Treasure next time we're away."

"Hmm." He nodded. It was then that she finally looked up and caught the way he was staring at her. Neither of them said a word. After many years under the same roof, they didn't have to speak to know what was on the other person's mind.

"You're worried again, aren't you?" She questioned, placing both hands on his shoulders. "I mean...if you wanna help your dad keep the company—"

"We've had this talk, love," he cut her off, seemingly displeased. "I don't want it."

When he kissed her on the cheek and attempted to go, she squeezed his arms to force his eyes back on her. She'd thought a lot about Stephanie's words, and maybe Stephanie was not entirely wrong. Of course she didn't want anything more from Harry, for he'd always been more than enough. Despite so she felt awful that he had to give up on such a great opportunity for her. If he'd never met her, maybe he would've been rich and much more successful than he was now. He would've been his own boss and driving nice cars and probably engaged to someone from a rich family. He could've had it all. The least she could do now as his wife was encourage him to do what was best for him.

"Love, just accept the job, I don't mind."

"I cannot leave you here and move to San Francisco." He chuckled, yet she seemed so serious and he knew it wasn't time to joke around.

"I'll come with you and...and find a new job there..."

Harry was paralyzed for a long moment when he heard those words. His wife, who'd loved her job more than anything, was willing to drop everything just so he could be the CEO his father expected him to be. And he knew it was all because she loved him and she blamed herself for what she thought he'd lost. The truth, however, was that he never needed anything more than her.

Harry pulled Y/N into his arms, one hand at the back of her head as he whispered into her ear, "let's not talk about this anymore, alright?"

"But—"

"You're not going to work today?" He changed the subject, knowing how easy it was for her to get distracted.

"Got a day off." Y/N pressed her lips into a smile as she picked up their cat and followed her husband to the front door. Since Harry was extremely forgetful, they always had to do the 'checklist' together every morning before leaving home.

"Umbrella?"

"Here."

"Phone?"

"Already in my bag."

"Car key?"

Harry flinched when he stuck his hand into his coat pocket and couldn't find the key. The frantic look on his face made his wife laugh as she handed it to him.

"You left it by the sink...again," she said, resulting in a smile of relief on his face.

"You're the best. Love you!"

"Hold on!" She called out when he was about to leave. "Forgetting something else?"

He shot her a look of confused, until she lifted her face and pointed to her lips, eyes closed. With a smile, he didn't hesitate to walk back and kiss her goodbye.

"Okay, now you can go," she said, patting his cheek. "Have a great da—"

Y/N could barely finish her sentence when all of a sudden the door opposite from theirs creaked open. The couple nearly screamed as they saw who it was.

"Are you kidding me?!" Harry's eyes expanded to the point they could just fall out. "Why are you here?"

"This is my new place," said Mason, who looked just as pissed off. In all honesty, Y/N and Harry thought this was better than having to deal with his pretentious 'kindness'.

"Okay, you knew we lived here, asshole," Harry snarled at him. "You expect us to believe this is another coincidence?"

"You actually think we remembered your address and your flat number so we could get this flat because we're so obsessed with you?"

Y/N nodded fast. "Yeah, Mason, that's exactly what we think."

Harry threw his hands in the air, face screwed up as he turned to his wife. "What kind of shitty alternate universe is this?!"

"Why are you complaining? I'm the one with crazy neighbors here."

Harry turned a deaf ear to his cousin's insult. He would love to stay and start another fight, but he didn't want this asshole to be the reason he was late for work. He said goodbye to his wife, yet before leaving, he didn't forget to give Mason the finger and walked off without a second look back.

Y/N watched him go with heart eyes a wide smile on her face, while Mason could not look anymore irritated. That was when Stephanie showed up at the door, holding a yellow cat. The woman looked as shocked as her husband to see Y/N standing there. It was Treasure who broke the hostile silence. She meowed loudly, probably excited to see her new cat neighbor. But Stephanie didn't seem so fond of the idea of their two cats being friends. Giving Y/N a look of disgust, she told her pet, "Tiger, stop looking at that dirty creature. You might get eye cancer."

"Well, then I'm already blind from looking at you."

"You—"

Y/N walked in and slammed the door shut, not wanting to hear more from Stephanie. Now that they were alone and away from their evil new neighbors, she gave Treasure a stern look. "Do not associate with that family, you understand me?"

The car purred softly in response, and Y/N hoped the answer was yes.

#harry styles #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles writing #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfictions #harry styles series #flatmate!harry #husband!harry

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loyalflutist · 5 years

Text

Ten Steps Ahead (F!Byleth x Edelgard)

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions of Violence Category: F/F Words: 4,282 Summary: Edelgard had lost Byleth after the Adrestian Empire had rebelled against the Church of Seiros. However, Volkhard's visit gave her what she wanted... but it appears that Edelgard has to be ten steps ahead of Those Who Slither in the Dark to save the very person she loved.

A/N: Has it really been that long since I’ve last written an Edeleth piece? Probably not, but it strangely felt like one. Hope you enjoy this. Might continue this after my finals once I get the chance.

-----

Times moves forward, and time waits for no one. Edelgard von Hresvelg had always believed in that. No matter how much she yearned to change the past, it would do nothing but reopen old wounds. The least she could do is focus on the present and future. She had no choice but to move forward.

Until it came to her professor. Her beloved professor was caught up in a conflict that was never hers, to begin with. If there was one thing Edelgard wished to do, she wished for them to meet under different circumstances. Yet without her teacher, Edelgard would not be standing where she was now.

“I will always stay by your side,” Byleth whispered nectar into Edelgard’s ears one night, the two huddled underneath the sheets without a single piece of clothing article. The older female placed a tender kiss on the noble’s neck from behind as she uttered, “I promise you from the bottom of my heart.”

How horrifically wrong she was. Edelgard wanted to go back and slap her across the face. By her side, Byleth and Edelgard raised the flag to rebel against the Church of Seiros and enraged the Knights of Seiros. The fight against the Immaculate One devastated the monastery. Yet despite their victory, a price must be paid in full, and it was a payment she had no choice in.

Edelgard could never forget the expression that Byleth made before the crumbling structures fell upon her. Byleth was gone in a snap of a finger. As Rhea escaped from the premise with her surviving soldiers and guardians, the aftermath left the Adrestian Empire in complete disarray. A raw scream like never heard before echoed into the red horizon. Not even losing her siblings and undergoing the experimentations from Those Who Slither in the Dark threatened to tear her apart like this.

The emperor, despite her injuries, ran in a flurry at the mountainous heap. She sunk to her bruised knees, her fingers clawing and shifting the boulders around. No matter how big or small they were, Edelgard shoved them aside, the worn muscles beginning to tear and burn. Her progress was beginning to slow. Fresh blood smeared the dusty concrete and sand, her nails torn apart in the process. Edelgard lowered her head. The tears flowed down her cheeks, her wails unhidden, begging to a godless being for a miracle.

“BYLETH!!!”

She weakly pounded on the huge pile of debris. Dorothea and Hubert approached from behind and tried to stand her up. Their house leader violently shook them off and curled into a fetal position.

Edelgard had to try again. She cannot give up. She had to dig Byleth out. She can’t leave Byleth alone. Byleth means so much to her. Byleth promised her that they would always be together. Why did she go back on her words? Why did she do that? Why? Why did her girlfriend do that? Didn’t they promise they would also be engaged in the future? Were those false promises? Why? WHY? WHY? WHY? JUST WHY?!

“Lady Edelgard…”

Hubert grimaced when he saw his emperor crawl towards the heap. Edelgard’s efforts to dig their professor out was a futile attempt. But he could not bring himself to stop her. As a loyal servant, it was his job to do what was best for Edelgard. He glanced away and scowled when he could not budge from his spot. Hubert felt so useless.

As he stood there, Dorothea approached the young woman, her arms wrapped around the frail noble. There was a bit of resistance from Edelgard, but the strong grip from the songstress tempted Edelgard into submission.

“Edie, let’s go back.”

“…”

“We can’t do anything right now. Let’s return and try to find her again once you’re healed up.”

“…okay.”

Hubert took it upon himself to carry the poor emperor into his arms. When he glanced, he noticed just how vulnerable Edelgard was. She was covered in grime and blood, but underneath it all, she was nothing more than a young lady. Although Edelgard’s duty as an emperor was of utmost importance, sometimes Hubert wondered if she would’ve been happier if she were nothing more than that of an ordinary commoner. Even if it meant not meeting him, maybe he wouldn’t have to see her so distraught like this. Maybe she would have fallen in love with Byleth normally. The two wouldn’t have to go through this conflict… right?

He cursed to himself and rushed back to the group. Just like Edelgard, he understood the importance of the present and future, yet hoped for a miracle to rewrite history.

Especially right now.

It has been five years since the first phase of their rebellion against the Church of Seiros. Edelgard and Hubert made a temporary alliance with Those Who Slither in the Dark to achieve victory in the current deadlocked war. As for the rest of the Black Eagles, they slowly regrouped under her flag, their hopes for achieving a better future motivated by her speech and, most importantly, the slim miracle to see their professor again. After all, after the entire class and some trustworthy battalions removed the debris a couple of days later, Byleth’s body was nowhere to be found. Even Edelgard felt her heart aflutter from the news.

Search parties led by students from the Black Eagles Strike Squad spread throughout all parts of Fodlan. They’ve trekked through varying landscapes and came under crossfire on many occasions. However, the results delivered to Edelgard’s doorstep were always disappointing. There were noted rumors about the “Ashen Demon” running amok on the battlefield… but that can’t be it. If it were true, then Byleth would’ve returned. So far, that hadn’t happened.

Until one letter arrived. She and Hubert quickly canceled all events for the day in order to meet with the sender.

“I’ve found your beloved professor, niece.”

Volkhard, after entering the main entranceway of the monastery (acting as their main headquarter), motioned to the approaching figure. Edelgard and Hubert held their breath in anticipation.

“…”

It was her. It was truly her. Byleth Eisner was here. She stood in full glory as of the progenitor god, as their professor, and as her girlfriend. Edelgard had to rub her eyes to distill any illusion. It was too premature to be excited this soon… right? When she removed her hands, Byleth still stayed, unmoving. A genuine, rare grin sprouted from Edelgard’s face as she rushed forward.

“Oh, Professor—!”

She couldn’t believe it! Her professor— She’s here! She’s finally here! Edelgard could barely reel back the desire to kiss with her girlfriend this very instant!

When she hugged the older woman, she immediately observed her physical state. Byleth was thinner, her chin was more pointed, her body was sturdier, and there were notable fresh bruises painted on her exposed skin. When they parted, Edelgard stared into Byleth’s eyes. Those sunken eyes, though neon, had dulled.

“Professor…?”

“…”

Something was wrong. Something terribly wrong. Edelgard bit the bottom of her lip and gently shook Byleth’s shoulders.

“Professor, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…”

Hubert noticed his highness’s confusion and glared at Volkhard. “May I ask why our professor refuses to speak to Lady Edelgard?”

“Hounds don’t need to talk.”

“Wha—” the young man was taken aback. “It may be rude of me to ask, but did you just call her a hound?”

The uncle sighed. He did not answer Hubert’s question, instead, directing his attention towards the two females. Volkhard snapped his fingers.

“Byleth, come here.”

“…”

To Edelgard’s horror, she watched her girlfriend obediently followed his instruction, returning to his side. Seeing her reaction caused her uncle to faintly smirk.

“I apologize, but your dear professor now works under me.”

“That’s… That’s not right!” Edelgard swung her arm outward. “She is our professor and has always been. As the emperor of the Adrestian Empire, I command that you return her back to us.”

“I’m afraid the emperor does not have full authority over who possesses what. Unless…” he narrowed his eyes. “You are that of a dictator. I’m sure your citizens would not be pleased.”

“Tch.”

He wasn’t wrong. Yet at the same time, Byleth was not a hound… and she was in no one’s possession. The fact that he treated her like an animal… This made Edelgard’s blood boil over. She then shot a glance at Byleth. Just why wasn’t Byleth saying anything? What was going on?

“…Please, let me stay with her.”

Well— Scratch that off, she could speak. Relief washed over Edelgard. She had to get a grip of herself before letting her knees instinctively buckle. Though it appears as if that evoked irritation from Edelgard’s uncle. Volkhard deeply breathed before mumbling, “Do as you wish, but I shall permit it starting tomorrow.” He glanced at Edelgard. “Is that sufficient, my niece?”

“Yes.”

Though Edelgard has every authority in this empire to take back her girlfriend, something felt off about the exchange, her guts screaming to keep her lips sealed and go along with the act. Besides, it would also do additional damage to her slowly diminishing reputation. The more drawn out the war, the more her citizens disliked her. She can’t lose the morale of the people in the empire any more than she has.

Eventually, Edelgard and Hubert were forced to watch Volkhard and Byleth take their leave from the once-holy ground.

Byleth paused. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted her girlfriend’s sadness. Then, a rare smile broke from the ex-mercenary’s stoic features.

“I never break my promise, El. Wait for me.”

It’s unfortunate that those words never made it to the emperor’s eardrums.

[-----]

Once Volkhard and Byleth distanced themselves far enough from Garreg Mach Monastery, they descended into a secret tunnel built by Those Who Slither in the Dark. Though their main hideout was in Shambhala, the organization expanded all across Fodlan to appear whenever and wherever desired. This was one of them.

Down the stairs they go in a rhythmic pattern, Byleth walking behind the man. With each step, the tunnel made of the earth’s soil transitioned to a metal pathway and a pulsating, neon blue line across the walls. Byleth began noticing a physical change of appearance in Volkhard. The uncle that should’ve been one of the many guiding figures in Edelgard’s life… It appears that he was long dead.

Once the ground flattened to a stable level, the duo was greeted with prisoner cells. Out of four, two of them were occupied. They were children with surgical stitches and scars running along their skin. Both the boy and girl trembled in the corner of their enclosed space at the sight of Byleth and Thales.

“…”

Byleth expected to be placed back into one of them. Ironically, it was the once place that she calls a safe haven for five long, arduous years, a place where she could curl up and sleep in her own misery. No… That wasn’t it. It was a place where she didn’t have to see the horrific experimentations and surgeries done unto those children. Their screams shattered bits and pieces of whatever sanity Byleth had. Witnessing it with her own eyes begged for merciful gouging.

“You…”

She stepped in once the metallic door was unlocked. Yet when she entered, so did the taller male.

“!”

Volkhard— No, Thales, immediately punched Byleth squarely in the face. When she stumbled backward, another punch was delivered into her abdomen. The wind was knocked out of her and caused the professor to go down on one knee. Byleth started to cough as Thales stared from above.

“What a fool you are to tell me what to do. Did you really miss her so badly?”

“…”

“You’re nothing but a dog, Fell Star. If I remember correctly, dogs don’t bite back at their masters.”

“Ggk…”

Byleth hated this treatment. When she was violently stirred awake from her short-term coma, she found herself in this underground facility. Close to the monastery, close to her students, close to her allies, yet so far away when Thales and members of Those Who Slither in the Dark conditioned the ex-mercenary into a powerful warrior for their needs. Five years of being grounded to the dirt into a lowly status of a hound. She wasn’t a human anymore nor a progenitor god through their eyes.

The number of deaths she tallied skyrocketed compared to her time as a mercenary. Ashen Demon was boldly adorned over her head with every swing of the Sword of Creator. She killed everyone in her sight. Criminals, soldiers, innocents… Their lives were extinguished in a single action, and their ghosts haunting Byleth until the day she joins their rank.

Though this was all in the name of surviving for one more day. Plus, Byleth would’ve gladly chosen death over it if it weren’t for her longtime commitment with Edelgard. She had to stay alive and see her girlfriend, bear with their cruelty, and condone their atrocious sins. Today was an example of her hard work paying off.

As she caught her breath, Thales’s voice boomed. “I want to remind you that we still need you for our grand plan.” His white eyes pierced through the female like icicles. “You have what we need in you and we need you to control Edelgard.”

Byleth raised her head. Compared to the look she had previously, they were ignited with a small flare. She spat, “Edelgard will never bow down to you. Using me won’t achieve your goal.”

He smirked. Then, leaning down, he mumbled, “But you can make her bow down to us.”

“!!!”

Thales got up and slammed his foot onto her hand. Hard. Byleth instantly cried out as pain rapidly spread from her fingerbones to the rest of her arm. She had to bite on her lip until it drew blood when the man twisted his metallic boot to the right. It felt as though the bones were creaking and snapping.

Eyes narrowed, Thales demanded, “You will report to us about her activities every night outside of the monastery. I will have a soldier deliver the message to us. Failure to do so…” He intensified his pressure onto her hand, causing Byleth to cry out again. “Will result in something far worse than death. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes…”

“I can’t hear you.”

“Agh!”

He was relentless. If this was going to keep it up, Byleth’s dominant hand was going to be broken. And if they’re broken, she would be forced under the knife again for healing… without anesthetics. Byleth frantically shouted,

“YES!”

When he released his hold, Byleth immediately withdrew her hand to her chest, fear glistening in her neon hues. The sight of watching the woman known as the Ashen Demon succumb was a reward in of itself to Thales.

Out of all the military members he recruited by force, none was as strong-willed as Byleth. She would always bite back. She was no fool either. Weak points that he had never noticed came to light when the warrior exposed it. Too bad Byleth is only a single woman. One versus a dozen without her weapon would always end poorly. Time and time again, Byleth landed back into her prison cell, Thales forcefully conditioning her to follow their code. It took months to weaken her until she became that of an obedient hound.

He turned his back towards her, but not without leaving his parting message.

“You should thank Edelgard for bringing you to me. If she hadn’t abandoned you, perhaps you wouldn’t be here.”

“…”

After the loud metallic slam of the barred door, his footsteps started to fade. Byleth realized she had held her breath once silence returned. The teacher scooted to the side of her confinement and leaned against the chilly wall. Neon blue dimly lit just enough for her to examine the afflictions.

‘ He didn’t fracture my bones. ‘

Byleth’s hand didn’t possess a stabbing pain when she flexed and moved her fingers. She weakly tightened it into a fist and stared up at the futuristic ceiling.

‘ El… ‘

She never blamed Edelgard for the fate that she had received. Perhaps it was… what was it that Mercedes or Marianne once said… Karma? Yeah, was this karma for the killings she had done as a mercenary that led her to this position? Byleth brought her knees in and rested her head on them.

Regardless, she at least met Edelgard in person, and properly this time. It was a gutsy move and Byleth feared the wrath that would incur from Thales. However, perhaps it was a blessing that he had granted her this peace. But there was a catch. Thales was not stupid. He had always thought two steps ahead of everyone. This could be the same. Byleth scrunched her brows. Despite the throbbing aches, she felt a drowsy spell be cast upon her mind and closed her eyes.

‘ I… I’m going to be by El’s side again… ‘

[-----]

Edelgard propped herself up on the mattress. In her white nightgown, the young noble stifled an audible yawn, her scarred arms outstretched up in the air. Birds chirped in the background as natural sunlight washed over parts of the flooring. If Edelgard were, to be honest, she’s not exactly a morning person, but… she had to do what she had to do as an emperor. She must always be punctual and there for her people.

Not much time was spent getting ready despite her flamboyant attire and hairdo. White switched with red, the ex-house leader left the noble’s dormitory floor.

Or so she was supposed to. Opening her bedroom door greeted her with a familiar presence… and a presence she yearned so much for.

“Byleth!”

The older woman cracked a smile. Then, she fell forward and into the welcoming embrace of her girlfriend. Edelgard nearly vocalized her surprise from the amount of weight Byleth dropped on her— or rather, the lack of it.

“Are you okay?!”

“I’m… just tired.”

“Tired?”

Byleth nodded. “I didn’t sleep much last night.”

It was unfortunate that Thales and some scientists decided to experiment on one of the kids roughly an hour after she nodded off. The event that transpired right afterward startled her awake to their piercing shrieks. Though Byleth was never subjected to their experimentations (it was unnecessary), she couldn’t imagine the agony they had to go through. After all, all four cells, including her, were originally occupied. One of them had died from the implantations of multiple Crests. It might’ve been a blessing to that teenager as they didn’t have to suffer anymore. The other two were the unlucky bunch for five years.

‘ I want to go back and save them, but… ‘

“Do you want to sleep in my room for the morning?”

Byleth couldn’t answer anyway as Edelgard immediately plopped her onto the mattress. The comfortable mattress that she had taken for granted from becoming a professor… If she wasn’t careful, the ex-mercenary would be easily lulled to sleep. She silently shook her head. This caused Edelgard to pout.

“Why are you objecting— Wait… I don’t remember you having a bruise near your nose.”

“…”

Well… Thales did punch her… twice. The pain had subsided when she had woken up and there was no mirror to check her features. No wonder why some of her alumni that spotted her gasped from sight. When she stayed quiet once more, Edelgard sat on the edge of the bed. She reached over to caress Byleth’s swollen cheek.

This warmth again. How long has it been since she’s last had her girlfriend touch her? Byleth caved in and nuzzled against her rough palm. Then, despite years of inability, she began to cry. This startled Edelgard, but only for a little bit. The emperor quickly laid down and pulled Byleth into a hug despite the height difference.

“Byleth...” Hearing her name being called caused the teacher to curl into a fetal position and bury her face into the noble’s chest. Edelgard’s heart clenched at the sorrowful sight. She tightly held onto the older woman and allowed her to weep. “I can’t say I understand why you’re crying, but I’m here for you. Whenever you’re ready to tell me… please… let me know.”

Byleth cried even harder into her girlfriend. “I’m… I’m scared!”

“Scared?”

“Of Those Who Slither in the Dark!”

“?!”

Those Who Slither in the Dark. Why did she bring up those names? Was it because of Volkhard? But it appears that it wasn’t the case when Byleth clutched her girlfriend’s clothes. “For years… They… They… I tried— I really, really tried to hang on. I tried. I’ve— I’m so scared of them!” She couldn’t form a coherent timeline of what she wanted to say, the blubbering sporadic and all over the place. But Edelgard is patient. The seething fury made her even more patient as she hoped to hear the full story from her lover.

It took about an hour, but it felt so much longer than that. Horror tales that Edelgard vividly recalled when she was a child came crashing back to her. This time, she was hearing it from someone who was a bystander and had nothing to do with Those Who Slither in the Dark. The fact that they were still conducting those inhumane experimentations… and conditioning of the soldiers… This is unforgivable. Edelgard mentally beat herself up too for not coming to Byleth’s rescue either. If she had persuaded Hubert and Dorothea to let her dig her professor out from under the rubble, then none of this would have occurred.

When Byleth timidly showed off her body to Edelgard, Edelgard nearly lost her breath. Scars similarly to hers were riddled on multiple parts of her body. Those that weren’t had scabbed over and blemished the skin with discolorations. Stitches did heal the wounds, but at what cost? The noble soon cast a basic healing spell on Byleth’s dominant hand too after mentioning the injury she sustained from yesterday.

“I’ll never forgive them,” Edelgard’s jawlines became prominent. “I swear to you, I will find a way with Hubert and Ferdinand to defeat them.”

“…I won’t be under them ever again?”

“No.”

“But… Thales is always two steps ahead of everyone.”

“Don’t you worry, my teacher,” she kissed her softly on the lips. Then, smoothing her hair, Edelgard whispered, “I’m five— no, ten steps ahead of them. I won’t let them harm you ever again… and I won’t ever let them call you their hounds. You’ll always be my girlfriend first and foremost.”

[-----]

Nightfall came. Just like the clear morning, the late evening was clear, the stars twinkling alongside the moon. At the request of Thales, Byleth did as what he told and wandered right outside of the monastery. She didn’t have to skim the area for long to find them— or more like they came up to her.

“You’re with no one?” the disguised soldier barked. When she nodded, the soldier continued. “Very well. Tell us about Edelgard’s plans against the Leicester Alliance.”

“…”

And so, she spilled the beans. There wasn’t much to spill though as Byleth had merely spoken two sentences maximum... And they were all false information. This seems to have irritated the messenger, but it was more so from the lack of information than the truth of her statement. They shoved the ex-mercenary, causing her to stumble backward.

“I doubt he will be pleased. Don’t expect his next visit to go well, dog.”

“…calling me a dog is the same as calling yourself a dog.”

“Try not to provoke me. I’m the messenger and I don’t need to do dirty work like you hounds.”

“…”

The person huffed and quickly fled the scene. That now left Byleth all on her own in the dense woods. Though it was not long until Hubert appeared from the shadows. He stood by her side, facing the opposite direction.

“We’re safe. I’ve checked our surroundings with Ashe and Lysithea.”

“…”

“I would expect them to be mindful of their surroundings,” he chuckled and cupped his chin. “But perhaps I’ve overestimated them.”

Byleth continued to look straight ahead while responding to his remark. “I guess when they’re invisible, they stop looking over their shoulders.” She felt his firm hand placed on her shoulder. Hubert gently squeezed them and released his hold. At that same moment, both Ashe and Lysithea came up from behind. This was their cue to make their return.

Meanwhile, Edelgard sat in the lecture hall, writing and drawing on a scroll. Plenty of crosses and scribbles littered the page. Sharing the same study space was Sylvain, Ignatz, and Ferdinand. They were procuring up plans that would allow them to tackle not only the opposing nations but to handle the corrupted organization. As for Ingrid, Caspar, and Raphael, they were in charge of guarding the only entranceway into the premise.

“I can’t believe they exist…” Sylvain hummed. “They’re going to be tough to take down, but I have no doubt that we can do it.”

“We shouldn’t have any doubts,” Ferdinand motioned. “We have the majority of our classmates with us. It’s just too bad Hilda and Dedue won’t join us…”

“Bigger number doesn’t always mean success,” Ignatz shook his head. “However, if anything, I won’t allow us to fail any mission regarding them. It’s… It’s just not right to have them running free and do what they want, even if we are teamed up with them.”

“…”

As her classmates chattered among themselves, Edelgard was fully focused on their plans. Yet there was a break, her hand motionless. She blinked. The vermillion noble’s knuckles whitened on the feathered pen.

‘ Once the war is over, I will tear them apart for harming my Byleth. Limb… to limb. ‘

#loyalflutist #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #edeleth #f!byleth x edelgard #edelgard #edelgard von hrevelg #byleth #f!byleth #byleth eisner #fan fiction #fanfiction #fanfic #fan fic #one shot #oneshot #os

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scoobydoominuscoobydoo · 5 years

Text

The Meddling Kids in the Car

FF.Net & AO3

Darkness.

Silence.

Pain shooting through his leg.

And then he hears grunting, someone struggling to breathe; he can sense tears trying force their way to the front.

Shag realizes that the darkness is being caused by his eyes being shut.

When he does open his eyes he finds that the darkness is barely improved; his world being illuminated by a single car light above him.

It’s that observation that tells him he’s in a car, and after further investigation he can see that he’s cramped up in the back seat. That tells him this isn’t the Mystery Machine or any other form of big car, any small car never has enough leg room for him.

The next observation he makes is that the sounds of struggle from before were coming from the front seat. Shaggy directs his attention towards the front and only needs a moment to spot an orange turtle-neck.

“Velms?”

When he speaks his tongue feels like sand paper and the air is almost damp when he breathes it in.

How long has he been out?

His brunette friend turns to look at him and he sees her face light up, he also notices a large, purple bruise on her temple.

“Shag holy shit! I thought your were dead for a second there.” She says this with a chuckle in her voice and her eyes begin to tear up. She leans back in the driver’s seat and smiles brightly at him, making him worry that he had been out for longer than a couple hours.

Now that his brain is finally orienting itself he takes another crack at examining his surroundings.

“Like sorry to disappoint...” He says softly and earns another chuckle from Velma.

He can definitely confirm that they are in a small car.

And judging by the darkness around the windows it’s late at night.

They must be locked in the car or something because Velma was trying to force open the the driver’s side door. But cars can’t be kept locked from the inside, there should be a way for her to unlock it.

And why was it so damn hot?

Shaggy hadn’t realized it at first but it was definitely sweltering; sweat was dripping from his brow and his breathing had become labored.

Then he took a closer look out the window next to him - his blood went cold.

“Ve- Velma? Whe-Where are we?”

Velma stares somberly at him and takes a deep breath, as if trying to keep her emotions in check, “We’re underground. Buried alive.”

Hour One:

“What’s the last thing you remember Shag?”

Her words kinda echo for a second, he keeps trying to pull his body out of a state of panic because in a cramped area like this that could result in death.

How many hours had they been in here?

How many hours did they have left?

“Shaggy!”

He jumps and looks back at her, suddenly remembering that she had asked him something.

He runs a hand through his hair, “I-...I-uh....remember we were at the haunted amusement park looking for Ferdinand the Torture Clown and-”

“That’s not his name.”

“It’s a better name, don’t interrupt me or I’ll forget what I was talking about.” Velma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, her version of admitting defeat.

“Like, thank you. And.... um Freddie had us split up. You and me plus Scoob - him and Daph?” She nodded and he continued, “So like, you and I were at the employee parking for the clown rental shop just outside of the park. You were on one side and I was on the other.” He looks down at his lap to sigh, he’s been short of breath since he woke up.

“I-.... I remember you calling me over to see something but.... by the time I got to where you were you were passed out and on the ground. Like, I didn’t even get a second to process before I heard a honk and saw bright lights. Th- That’s all I can remember.”

Velms nods, “That matches up with my memories. Somebody came up from behind right after I called for you and then clocked me in the head.” She points up to her lovely bruise, “And then they must’ve sauntered off and waited for you so they could run you over.”

“What?!”

Velms raises an eyebrow at him, “You know? Like with a car?”

“I got run over by a car?!”

“Well dur, did you think that nasty number on your leg was from me?”

Shaggy can’t believe his ears, he follows Velma’s gesture toward his left leg and instantly feels sick. It’s bent unnaturally and on top of the lovely mixture of dirt and blood its got going on, it’s also leaking some sort of pus that is making his stomach churn.

It’s right then that the pain coming from his leg registers, and it must show on his face because Velma steps in, “The adrenaline must’ve been distracting you from the pain...”

He groans, knowing he shouldn’t touch it but desperately wants to do something with it.

“Agh! I-Is is supposed to hurt this much?”

Velma bite her lips for a moment, “I-.....I don’t know. I’ve never been run over by a car.”

He glares at her.

“But it’s probably gonna get worse in these conditions.”

With that, he attempts to move in a more comfortable position, and the pain from the movement causes him to scream.

Hour Two:

“How much air do you think we have?”

“Judging by how long we’ve been in here, the size of the car and a couple hours to count the amount of time we were unconscious; I’d say five...maybe six hours at the greatest.”

“Like, fantastic.”

They’re silent for a few moments after that, and Shag finds that the quiet above ground and the quiet below are very different.

He’s hating the below ground one so far because it’s giving him the head-space to count out the minutes till his death.

And whenever Velma feels the need to break the silence, it feels so much louder now.

“Who do you think did this to us Shag?”

He sighs and gestures up toward the sky, however far up it may be, “I don’t fucking know- my best guess is our good friend Ferdinand but this seems like something above his pay-grade.”

A clown skipping around and turning off roller-coasters suddenly burying two teenagers alive seems like a huge leap. Leaps from dangerous pranks to actual life or death situations were rarely made, and Velma couldn’t picture their mask doing this.

“Yeah, I mean clearly this guy is trying to shut down the park because once it’s shut down the land will be at it’s lowest.”

“Like it’s always something with real-estate...”

This quiet is awful.

They can’t even hear bugs chirping.

No sign of life except for them struggling to breathe.

Velma takes another look towards their main problem, breaking the quiet once more, “How’s your leg?”

Shag also sends a glance its way, hating just how bad it looked, “Like it’s doing great, the pus is really coming along.”

Velms frowns at him and he can tell something is on her mind, but it’s something she’s gotta say gently. Otherwise she would’ve already blurted it out. She sighs before speaking, “It’s swelled up a lot in the past hour...”

“Well yeah, it did come face-to-face with a damn tire.” He musters up a grin, because he hopes that’ll help Velma deliver the bad news.

Her mouth is set in a grim line as she stares at his leg for a few more seconds, gulping as she replies, “I just hope it’s not because of infection....”

Shit.

He had forgotten that was a thing.

“And if it is?”

This time it’s Velma trying to summon the smile, her’s is far less convincing, “It’s gonna be a tough few hours.”

At that moment the only thing Shag can think is, ‘Don’t hyperventilate. Don’t hyperventilate.’

Velma can see that all over his face, “Shaggy if you start to panic then we’ll be out of air a lot faster.”

“You think I don’t know that?!” He almost wheezes that statement out, “Not like it matters anyway. We have no clue where we’re buried and there’s no way that Fred and Daphne will know that we’re under the ground!”

Velma bites her lip and looks away from him, wiping sweat from the bridge of her nose.

She’s not used to being the optimist in any situation, but neither is Shaggy. They both find that it’s impossible to put a positive spin on anything, but Shag’s leg isn’t doing too well and if Velma doesn’t bring the mood up he’s gonna start panicking.

She needs to distract him.

“Ou- There’s always the chance that Fred and Daph catch our guy, and if he’s the one who shoved us down here then Fred will get it out of him.”

He rubs his forehead and chuckles, “Yeah... if Daph doesn’t kill him first.”

She closes her eyes and smiles, “Indeed.”

Shaggy follows her lead and shuts his eyes, letting his head lean back against the window.

Pushing his hands into his pockets and letting his fingers trace over every item. He can feel assorted pieces of paper, candy wrappers most likely, his Commander Cool wallet from way back in grade school, that’s definitely a Scooby Snack in his left pocket. For the first time in his life, he’s starving but not in the mood to eat - won’t do much good in a dead body.

He’ll offer it to Velma in a minute.

Pessimistic as she can be, he knows that she has huge faith in Fred and is more convinced than him that their leader will be able to connect all the missing dots.

As smart as Fred and Daphne are, there are too many unpredictable details to make up for.

Suddenly, something pops into his head, he has a cell phone.

He releases his right hand to search his back pocket, relieved to feel the warm plastic at his fingertips. Shaggy grabs it and takes a good look at it; it’s surprisingly not cracked or scratched - at least there are no new cracks or scratches.

He presses the on button and sure enough, the screen lights up, instantly greeting him with Daphne’s bright eyes as Scooby licks her cheek.

She was cackling when the photo was taken, and as loud and extra as Daphne’s laugh could be, Shaggy couldn’t deny how beautiful she looked when she did laugh.

It provides some sort of comfort, in spite of the lack of reception he has.

Those violet eyes seem to relax every nerve in his body, he remembers choosing to make this his lock-screen. He had ran the risks through his head over and over again.

What if anybody sees?

What if Daphne sees?

What are they gonna think?

But, in the end, he lost the battle to those eyes.

Shaggy smiles fondly at the photo, almost forgetting he was in his coffin, but is interrupted by a gasp.

“You’ve had your phone this whole time?!” Velma cries out, forcing Shag to tear his gaze away from Daphne. “Like, calm down Velms, it doesn’t have any sort of signal.”

She stares at him for a moments before saying, “You don’t have the FM radio thing? It comes pre-installed in most phones.”

Shag raises an eyebrow at her, “And then we can do what, listen to the game? Radio and walkie-talkie are two different things.” Frowning, Velma bites her lip - trying to gather her thoughts.

Hour Three:

Their breaths are becoming shorter, he can hear just how shallow Velma’s inhales are, and the back of his throat is dry and burning.

Velms has already abandoned her turtle-neck as well as her glasses, which wouldn’t stop fogging up. “Fuck it, I’d rather make the choice to be blind.”

Shaggy had been spending the seconds alternating between looking at the picture of Daphne for sanity’s sake, and then looking down at the state of his leg.

Also for the sake of sanity, but in a different way.

Looking at Daph helped him feel at peace on his “deathbed” while looking at his leg reminded his that he would probably never see her again.

He had cut off the leg of his pants all the way up to the knee with a box-cutter Velma had found in the glove compartment, so as to better see the damage. It was safe to say it wasn’t healing in any way, the swelling had gone up noticeably as well as the pain.

Velms couldn’t really do much about it, just sigh and rub her forehead.

Neither of them saw much purpose in bringing up the bright-side, they had been here for a long time - long enough for reality to set in.

They had seen the last of the world just a few hours ago and now the last thing they were ever going to see was each other.

“Do you take me for granted?”

Velma lets out a soft “hmmm” before saying, “Yeah probably.”

He nods, even though she isn’t looking at him.

“But you can’t hold that against me.”

“And why ever not?”

She chuckles and turns back to squint at him, he knows that doesn’t help any, and says, “Shag, I have known you almost my whole life right?”

He nods again but isn’t sure if she can see that so he says, “At least.”

Velma smirks and continues, “In that time I have found there to be one consistent fact. Nobody thinks less of Shaggy Rogers than Shaggy Rogers.”

The sentence leaves him kind of winded, as if he wasn’t winded enough from the lack of air, and he’s left to ponder it. Velma turns back toward the front, she had said her piece and she had nothing left to throw out. Not like she had to worry about being sensitive with him, the only punishment she’d receive is him ignoring her.

Which works.

Silence being the last thing she remembers, the only peaceful moment in her life.

Shaggy is staring up at the car light, black dots appearing and fading with every blink, left to contemplate so many things and knowing that it won’t do any good.

At this point even the tedious ticking of a clock would be comforting, he was getting tired of listening to his own heavy breathing.

The glaring 57% battery life was mocking him, showing him how much time he had left with Daphne and Scoob before the screen would go dark and he’d never see them again. He heard Velma groan as she turned to look back at him, seeing her slide on her glasses through his periphiral.

“Shag what time is it?”

He didn’t answer, the 57% had just gone down to 56% and now Shaggy was thinking about mortality and how he didn’t have a charger to bring him back to life.

Velma rolled her eyes and leaned forward, yanking Shag’s phone out of his hand.

“Velms! Like what the hell?!” He attempted to grab it back but she was already out of reach, he winced as he leaned a little too far forward and his leg pulsed.

She raises her eyebrows, feeling bad for causing that pain, but keeping her tongue sharp, “I was asking you what time it was, I repeated myself like three fuckin’ times.”

Shaggy rolled his eyes and leaned back against the door, breathing through his nose and waiting for the pain to subside.

It wasn’t.

But it’s not like it mattered anyway.

Velma huffed and turned her attention to the phone, pressing the on button and wishing her skirt had pockets that would have been able to hold her phone. Sucking in a deep breath at the sight of Daphne looking back at her.

Without even looking at the time, Velma brought her gaze to her tall friend.

His eyes were closed as he concentrated on ignoring the pain.

Now Velma knew that a lock screen photo could mean anything, any number of things besides the one thing she’s thinking of.

But as she’s looking at Shaggy right now she can just feel what this picture means to him, why it’s there and why he’s been spending the last hours of their lives looking at it.

Daphne huh?

She can’t help but smile, because she’s learned a thing or two about Shaggy - but she’s also known a thing or two about Daphne.

Velma chooses not to say anything, deciding not to curse Shag with the information that he’s part of a doomed romance.

Hour Four:

They’re at the point where labored breathing can be changed to desperate gasps every few minutes, lungs panicking and searching for air before realizing the supply was just low - not gone.

Velma has been mentally counting out the minutes for the past one-hundred or so, resisting the urge to suck in deep breaths.

“Shags.... what is that?”

Her voice is so quiet, they haven’t spoken to each other for nearly forty-five minutes and he had almost forgotten what she sounded like.

“Like, what?”

He just barely wheezes that out.

“W-...What is that?”

She points to the car’s control panel in front of her, the small, grey rectangle resting on top of it to be precise.

“It’s a GPS.”

The earns a gasp as she leans forward in her chair and pops her glasses back on, “Oh my word I am so damn stupid! It’s been here the whole fucking time and I didn’t even notice it!”

Shaggy is surprised she can still summon the energy to shout, or be mad with herself.

He watches as she examines the device, tracing her fingers over each edge - clearly looking for something. She lets out a loud, triumphant laugh as her search merits pleasing results, he assumes as much at least.

“Care to share anything with the class Velms?”

With a grunt and a cackle, Velma crawls over to the passenger side and he hears the pops of the glove compartment being opened.

“This GPS is connected to satellite, real rich shit for sure. And as it just so happens, we have a little green van out there with a spunky navigation system that takes in almost any information sent it’s way.” She groans and slams the compartment shut as she turns her search to the small storage space between the driver’s and passenger’s seats.

“If I can remember the signal our good-for-nothing GPS is on than I could send out our coordinates or something whatever this is only a half plan.” She has yet to even look up at him, searching for he doesn’t even know what.

“Wait.... Velms even if we’re able to send out the longitude and latitude higgledy piggledy, how do we know Fred and Daphne will know it’s us? How are they supposed to know we’re sending this from however many feet beneath the earth’s surface?” Velma doesn’t answer, still not looking up from her goal.

And this makes him angry, the hairs on the back of his neck rising as he clenches his hands into fists.

Without thinking, he reaches forward and grabs onto the collar of Velma’s sweater, tugging her toward him, “Look at me!!! AaGh!”

He immediately withdraws and rubs at his leg, seeing that the redness that originally just surrounded the wound has now traveled up his leg and under his pant-leg. He can see the blood that was clotting now trailing down his calf and onto the seat.

Any form of movement sends Shaggy waves of pain and there’s nothing he can do but try not to scream. All of the pressing pain feels like fire in every place he can think of, this was like nothing else he’d ever felt.

Was this his body finally shutting down?

For now he bites down on his index finger as he feels tears stream down his cheeks.

His brain repeating over and over again, ‘You’re dying. This is it.’

It’s pushing against his skull with the force of a bullet and more than anything he wants to scream out for it all to stop.

‘I’m not ready!!!!’

That final thought just barely manages to be louder than the rest, not getting a repeat or an echo.

And it’s enough to leave Shag feeling cold; freezing.

“Shaggy... I-”

“I’m nuts about Daphne!” He sobs out, not even bothering to hold it back.

He almost feels like laughing at Velma’s silence, finally she has nothing to say, “I’m over the moon, crazy stupid in love with her.”

Amazingly, she still says nothing.

Shaggy chuckles and wipes the tears from his face, “Like, aaahh.... I love her voice and her laugh - oh my gosh do I love her laugh. And her eyes might as well just be some sort of stun gun for me. Sh-She’s so confident all the time and so smart - Zoinks she’s a genius, and I hate that she lets people talk down to her so much.”

He wonders if she’s staying silent so he can get all of this out, because he’s not really sure when this will stop, if it’ll ever stop.

He’s been holding it in for a long time.

“So-Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night ‘cause I’m completely terrified that she believes all the bad things people say about her.” His profession of love and need to start sobbing have been battling it out in his throat and it’s becoming really hard to even string words together, “Velms she’s so fucking amazing and..... I-I could never be with somebody as awesome as her but....”

The words won’t even come out anymore, just tears and shaky gasps.

Velma bites her lip as she sees the inner-turmoil that’s taking over her best friend.

She leans forward and lightly rests her hand on his uninjured leg, “Shags.... tell me what to do.”

Shaggy locks eyes with her and through his blurry vision he can see that she’s got a somber look on her face, her mouth set in a determined frown.

“I.....”

What does he want her to do?

No.

This is her asking what he wants, right now.

What he needs her to do to help that happen.

“I want to see her again....”

All it takes is that statement and Velma sends him a mischievous grin, clapping her hands together and turning back toward the compartment, “Right! So, as we all know most GPS connected to the car require the actual car to be running, and while the lights are on nothing else in the car seems to be functioning. Lucky for us though, this one is similar to Freddie’s - meaning it has-”

“A keyhole!” Shag jumps in and Velma snaps and points at him.

“Exactly. Unfortunately, even if we do unlock it - assuming we find the key - we’ll only have a few seconds of time to send out the message before the device shuts off again. These things have shit emergency power and seeing as we’ve been down here for maybe eight hours already it’s safe to say that it’s dead. After that we get zero redos. Got all that Shags?”

Shaggy gulps and nods, “Like no second chances, got it.”

Then a thought pops into his head, “Uh yeah, quick question ma’am. It shouldn’t be hard to find our GPS to send the message to but uh... how are we supposed to know where the hell we are?”

Velma stares at him for a few seconds before smirking, “Ah... that is where you come in my friend.”

“Me?”

She chuckles, “Yes Mr. “I have the nose of a bloodhound.”

“Wha-.. Uh-...I.... Velms, like we’ve been down here for hours and I haven’t smelled anything. Zip. Nada.” Velma simply returns this with another chuckle before replying, “Well you were a depressed loser for a wide percentage of those hours.”

He stares blankly at her before sighing, “Yeah... but- blaming my lack of smelling ability on my mental state has a wide margin for error don’t you think?”

“And do you have a better idea?”

Shag ponders that question for a second and then groans.

Closing his eyes, he tries to concentrate on every little thing his nose has been able to detect thus far. Dirt, sweat, blood, iron, the rubber from the tires; that’s as far out as his senses have been able to travel.

Sighing, he opens his eyes and looks at Velma, “Velms I-”

“Norville Shaggy Rogers, you told me that you - yes you sir, nobody else - wanted to see the love of your life Daphne Blake again. Did you not?” She’s crossing her arms and scowling at him.

Her words send a wave of heat over him and he looks down at his hands, “Like-”

“Yes! That’s exactly what you said! Don’t bullshit me like this, I have seen you pick out every single ingredient in my mom’s vegan lasagna without even tasting it. You were able to help us find a gas station in the middle of Vegas when the van broke down. You’re a freaking X-Man Shags!”

Velma’s eyes are practically glowing as she rants to him, he’s not used to her putting so much faith in him.

And then he’s thinking about Daphne, her perfect eyes being the only thing in the world he needs.

He closes his eyes again and takes as deep a breath as he can.

He’s back at the scent of rubber, weirdly enough, they’re definitely new tires, but he doesn’t think much of it - trying his hardest to grip onto something new. Flames of red and blue and orange dance around under his eyelids, each one something he’s already seen before; no what he needs right now is a new color.

It occurs to him that he probably looks insane to Velma right now, eyes closed and a constant sniffing.

Not like he should be feeling self conscious, he’s just trying to save their lives.

He almost jumps in his seat at the flash of purple appearing just in the corner of his vision. Not wasting another moment gripping onto the color and following it, trying to place what it is.

“Funnel cake.”

He hears Velma gasp, “So we’re still near the park?”

Shag lingers on the shade for a moment longer before nodding, “Yeah, no doubt about it, this is the same stuff from our park.”

Velma nods and bites her lip in thought, recalling that they only had one funnel cake stand in the whole of the park. “D-Do you think you can place how far from the stand we are?”

Shaggy sighs and rubs the back of his neck, “Like, I’ll try Velms...”

Slowly, Shag begins to climb the violet hue, trying his best to avoid getting lost in all the rivaling smells.

It wasn’t helping that the purple was just making him think of Daph and then his mind would start to drift, only being pulled back in by his desire to see the real deal in front of him again.

He’s not quite sure how long he’s been ascending the lavender rope for but it’s definitely been a slow going process because his inhales are shorter and require more effort.

Oddly enough, when he reaches the surface of what he’s assuming is the earth, Shag is completely winded.

And it takes no time for him to be absolutely drowned in a barrage of new colors, all of them trying to get him to look away from the purple. But he keeps his grip firm and tight, noticing that it’s definitely getting brighter and more intense in hue - he has to be close.

Suddenly, all the other colors vanish - being completely drowned in the ferocity of the violet. All Shag can comprehend is purple and he can practically feel Daphne staring into his soul, but this isn’t Daph - this is funnel cake. And it’s right on top of them.

He lets out a gasp and his eyes shoot open, Velma goes from bored and relaxed to alert in a second, “Did you find out where we are?”

Shag nods, still trying to catch his breath, “We-....We’re.....un- underneath.”

Velms raises an eyebrow, “Underneath....the funnel cake stand?”

He nods again, closing his eyes and groaning as he’s overwhelmed by the colors again.

“You mean....directly underneath?”

“L-Like we might be five or six feet below the surface, but we’re definitely underneath the stand.”

Velma is quiet for a second, crossing her arms as she processes the new information, “So....somebody knocks me out, runs you down, somehow takes down the entire stand, and then buries an entire car six feet under, and nobody noticed?”

Shag rubs the back of his neck in thought, “Like, wasn’t there a lot of construction going on? Because the park’s not up to code or something like that? I can’t remember what the lawyer chick said.”

Velms sighed, “Yeaahhh I kinda blacked out whenever she talked, remind me never to go to law school.”

“Noted.”

“Anyway, while you were going on a sniffing adventure, I managed to find the damn key to this stupid GPS. Now I just need to figure out the location of the stand in relationship to the Mystery Machine.” Velma is in super-detective concentration mode right now, meaning she’ll ask a lot of questions out loud but they’re all rhetorical and Shag should not attempt to answer any of them.

That’s Fred’s job, not his.

As he watches the one-woman show play out before him, a question from earlier pops back to the center of his brain.

“Uh... Velms?” She sends him an annoyed look but she stops mumbling to listen, “Again, if Fred and Daph can even get the message and know it’s from us and go to the tent, how are they supposed to know we’re buried under the crust of the earth?”

Velma’s eyebrows furrow and she nods, “Yes, that is an issue...”

She’s silent for several minutes before she snaps her fingers, “Of course!”

Without wasting a second, Velma leans forward and pops open the glove compartment again. Shag can hear her fishing around in there for a few moments before returning back in front of him, holding what looks like a black cord.

His eyes widen when he realizes what it is.

“Like...is that...”

“Yes it is. A USB hookup. And if I’m right....” Velma reaches over and grabs Shag’s phone from his hand, ignoring his protests, and lines up the plug-in with the phone’s charging port.

“Hah!” She laughs loudly, making Shaggy jump.

“This hookup is compatible with your dumb Android.”

“Okay, like not all of us wanna use a thousand pesos of our parent’s money to buy a phone that’ll break in two months.”

Velma rolls her eyes, “Shag... now is not the time for smartphone feuds. We have our lives on the line.”

“Wh-? You started i-”

“Ah ba ba! More pressing matters... how fast can you type on this keyboard?” Shag’s sighs and leans back against the door, all this action is helping him forget the fact that his leg is starting to look like a zombie’s leg.

“Uuuhhh..... thumbs like lightening. Why?”

“Becaaauuse...” Velma starts as she begins to plug the other end of the cord to the GPS, “I’m gonna need those lightning thumbs to type out some sort of message while I put in our location.”

Shag raised an eyebrow at her, “A GPS is able to send and receive text messages?”

“Shaggy, Fred’s GPS is capable of semi-sentient speech.”

“....Fair enough.”

Without a moment to lose, Velma begins to map out their location in her head, knowing she’ll only have a couple seconds to lock onto the Mystery Machine and then plot out the point toward the funnel cake stand. Meanwhile, Shaggy will have the same amount of time to type out some sort of clue to hint at where they were in the stand.

After maybe ten minutes of psyching up and hoping their thumbs would respond fast enough, Velma slowly inserts the small, plastic key into the keyhole.

Shags hand are shaking but poised to type like the wind.

Carefully, she turns the key until she hears a beep and the screen lights up, giving them a low battery symbol before giving them a map of their location.

The pressure kicks in as the beeping continues and Velma is suddenly looking for and sort of signal coming from the van, Shag jumps when a keyboard pops up on his screen.

He freezes up for a moment, completely forgetting what he was gonna type, the beeping sending blow after blow at his thought process.

It takes one particularly deep breath for him to remember his word of choice and to begin typing it.

And then, his screen is black.

Never giving him the chance to finish the word.

“Di-Did you get it?” He asks as he looks up at Velma, she’s panting heavily and gripping either side of the GPS. Her knuckles are white.

“I-....I’m pretty sure I got it, i-it was sent out to the nearest signal I could latch onto. I’m really hoping it was the Mystery Machine.” She says that with a breathless chuckle as she leans back in the driver’s seat, “What about you?”

He gulps and licks his dry lips, “I at least got half of the word....”

Velma chuckles again, this one extremely dry, “What was your word?”

Shag leans against the door again, trying to avoid thinking about how he might have ruined their last chance of survival, “Underneath.”

Hour Five:

Shag jolted awake.

He had been fading in and out for the past half an hour at least with each little “power nap” lasting around five minutes.

The last time he had shaken himself awake with a sneeze.

He wasn’t sure that was gonna help any with the oxygen deprivation but at this point Shaggy didn’t even care how much time they had left.

It was narrowed down to either they would be found by the rest of the gang.....

Or they wouldn’t.

Shag pretended that whole unconscious thing was just awful and he was trying his best to avoid it, ignoring all the different stories he’d experience with Daphne when his eyes were shut.

Damn it.

He should’ve stormed up and kissed the living daylights out of her ages ago.

If only the extenuating factor that Daphne may not need - better word - want to be kissed by Shaggy Rogers didn’t take him over.

He certainly understood that.

She could be dating superheros and models and gajillionaires, people born with symmetrical faces and everything.

In his opinion, he wasn’t nearly perfect enough to kiss her, but didn’t change the fact that he wanted to. He so desperately wanted to; lost count of all the times he had been lost in thought and just thinking how easy it would for him to casually blurt out, “Hey I love you. Yes you. In the purple.”

But as easy as it was to say, it was chained down - never to escape his mouth.

Because those damn eyes just terrified him so much when the moment was important to him.

Maybe she’s relieved that he doesn’t love her.

Maybe she really needs him as her friend and nothing else.

He really didn’t want to mess that up.

Groaning, he put those thoughts on the back burner and rubbed his tired eyes that were fighting off the temptations of sleep, and failing. Shag wasn’t sure when but eventually if he let himself fall asleep, he won’t be waking up.

It was at this point he noticed a faint beeping coming from somewhere next to him.

For a split second Shaggy wondered if he had already been rescued and was just hooked up to an IV, safe in a hospital above the ground.

But then, he opened his eyes and indeed confirmed that he was still in the God forsaken car.

The lights had clicked off awhile ago and refused to turn off, making it even harder to resist sleep.

Him and Velma had tried talking back and forth with each other to keep the brain stimulated or whatever. But they soon found it hard to talk and breathe at the same time, so they dropped that.

Luckily, that beeping had yet to stop and was doing a bang-up job of keeping him awake, and annoying the hell out of him.

He heard a shuffle and Velma’s exasperated groan as she sat up and said, “Okay what the hell is that?”

Shag winced as he leaned forward, his leg was completely numb at this point and he was glad the lights were off because otherwise he’d be too afraid to look at it. His eye trained toward where the beeping was coming from, spots of purple blinking in and out around his vision as his eye failed to adjust to the darkness. Gasping as he saw what he believed to be the GPS blinking red in time with the beeps.

A timer set for fifteen minutes in black text stood out over the red screen.

After a couple of seconds Shaggy realized it was counting down.

Down to what, he didn’t know.

Didn’t wanna know.

But for some reason he was still alive to know.

“Like... it’s just one thing after the other isn’t it?”

He said that with a bitter chuckle, leaning back against the door and groaning as he attempted to shift his leg, it hadn’t moved at all.

Velma clears her throat and for the first time in an hour, he saw her face. Well, the silhouette of her face against the blinking, red light. As she’s examining the GPS, her brow furrows and Shag can’t really tell whether she’s confused or troubled. The last thing he needed was for that look to be troubled, his life was already in jeopardy, wasn’t that good enough?

After a few minutes, Velma sighs and leans back into the seat, “This damn thing is connected to basically everything in the car, there’s no way for me to know what this thing is whining about...”

And thus, she begins to think out loud.

Shaggy leans forward some more, with the hopes of preventing sleep - however tempting it may be. Luckily, the consistent beeping in proving rather helpful in that regard.

It was grating to say the least, each beep acting as some sort of needle stabbing into his brain until all he felt was a light stinging. Putting his head in his hands, Shags groans out, “Aaagh why couldn’t this psycho just send us flying off a cliff? Or suffocate us with the damn airbags? But noooo, all our criminals gotta be “quirky” and add sort of fun twist to the horror. God I hate serial killers...”

Velma chuckles and Shaggy brings his gaze up to her, “What? Airbag suffocation is a clever one.” He raises an eyebrow at her before she rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, “Whatever, I though it was funny...”

Suddenly, her face lights up, “Airbags!”

Shag sighs and leans back, “Yup, that’s what I said...”

Velma scoffs, “No you dweeb, that’s probably what the damn GPS is counting down to. Once it reaches zero I’ll bet you anything that it’ll activate the explosives in the airbags and blow up the car.”

Shag stares at her, after a beat of silence he says, “I’ll get in on that action, If it blows up and we like, die, then I owe you $50. But if we just suffocate to death due to a lack of oxygen than you owe me $50.”

“Hardy har smartass. The explosives won’t be enough to kill us.... But... they will probably blow a hole in the car, resulting several tons of dirt flooding in and drowning us. That might be a problem.” She leans back into her chair and sighs, Shaggy simply smiles and says, “Hey, so I’ll win the bet either way! Sweet!”

Another beat of silence.

Velma ends it, “Do-... Do you think Fred and Daph have started looking for us yet?”

She begins to twiddle her thumbs.

“I have no doubt in my mind...” He takes a deep breath, it comes out more like a wheeze, “But, like, it doesn’t matter anymore. We’ve only got like...”

He leans forward to look at the timer.

“Nine minutes and thirty-four seconds until the white light comes to pick us up.”

“Wow, I can’t believe you’re gonna die a virgin...” Velma smirks back at him.

He rolls his eyes and smiles, “Yeah poor me, at least I can die admitting I fell in love. I don’t see your phone wallpaper of a certain trapping enthusiast.”

Shaggy wishes the lighting were better in here because he can tell she’s blushing.

“We-Well I.... I would have....i-if that damn clown hadn’t stolen my phone...”

Velma looks down at her lap as she states this and Shag can’t help but grin, “Well... It’s no declaration of love, but it’s close enough.”

She looks up to glare at him.

She opens her mouth to say something but is stopped short by the unbearable *screeeeech* coming from directly above them.

Shag and Velma’s eyes shoot upward towards the sound, then looking back down at one another - eye widened in shock.

“That-” Shag licks his lips, not brave enough to admit that was what he thinks it was.

Velma on the other hand is plenty brave and finishes, “Was something scraping the roof of the car?”

Shaggy’s heartbeat has sped up to far beyond what is healthy, leaving a drumming in his head to meet the constant stabs of the shrill beeping. He feels like he’s about to throw up, or faint, or both at the same time, it’s almost as if he can every little thing and yet can’t make out what any of it is.

Another long, scrape sends his pulse up even more.

Velma only needs to register the noise for a second before she starts banging on the roof, “We’re in here!!!” Shaggy is almost impressed at how fast she was able to act because all he can do listen to the drumming in his head and stare as his shaking hands.

Velma jumps back when then hear a knocking from above, instantly she bangs up again, “Freddie?! Daphne?! This better be you two!!!”

He can hear her voice tremble as she keeps shouting out.

Whoever is over them is shouting back, but their voice is muffled and neither of them can make out a single word. They both stare at each other for a minute and Shaggy can see that she’s crying, something he rarely ever gets to witness. And then he sees her gaze flicker over toward the GPS and his skin goes cold, it only takes a second for him to swallow up all the needles in his throat before he gets on his knees.

Slowly and with a lot of trying not to cry.

Biting his lip he looks over at Velma who has taken off her glasses to better let the tears flow.

With determination, Shaggy pounds his fist as hard as he can against the cushioned roof of this God forsaken car, “Fred, Daphne!!! There’s a bomb down here!! Like you’ve gotta get outta here!!!”

A sob catches in his throat and nearly chokes him, but he forces it back down.

He can hear Velma pounding away as well, but he can’t even really hear what she’s saying.

But he can feel his knuckle getting bruised and the air being all but gone from the car, and his leg is just introducing him to a whole new world of hurt.

One that he certainly was not a fan of.

After several second of nonstop pounding, they both stopped, trying to contain their deep breaths. It was complete silence up top, no pounds back and no screeches to be heard, just the eerie beeping.

They were alone again.

Collapsing back against the door, Shag reminded himself that deep breaths were a luxury he could not afford right now.

Daphne was safe.

And that was all he needed to know.

Ever since the day he couldn’t look her in the eyes without being frozen in place, the attention toward Daphne’s safety tripled. Even now, while trapped in a car with no air left to breath and a bomb about to go off, all he could care about is the fact that she wouldn’t be caught up in it.

That she wasn’t the one stuck in the car for who knows how long.

The beeping seemed to get louder as everything else around his senses began to fade.

‘You can make it.’

‘She’s right there.’

‘You just have to survive a bomb blast and then you can fumble out the confession you’ve been waiting for.’

‘And then they’ll amputate your leg.’

He smiled as he continued to fight the battle of keeping his eyes open, seeing that Velma was putting up the same fight.

“H-” His throat was in agony from the sudden barrage of screaming it had to go through just minutes ago.

“How long-”

“Two minutes and fifty-something seconds...”

Well damn she still had her voice.

Normally, Shag’s voice never gave out like this; but after dealing with oxygen deprivation and holding back tears for several hours - it was safe to say he was down for the count.

He simply nodded in response and tried to sit up straighter, hoping that would scare the sleep away.

Two minutes becomes an eternity when you’re just waiting for it to pass.

And then, poof!

Or, maybe a better word would be “boom!”

At the last second, Shag’s eye had popped open and he realized that Velma was sitting right in front of the airbags.

“Vel-” He coughed, groaning as the coughing didn’t stop; leaning forward, he grabbed her arm and tugged toward the backseat. Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment, but then her whole face contorted in shock, “Aw shit!” jumping out of the driver’s seat and into the back.

She crashed right on top of his problem leg, but he didn’t even have the strength the talk - much less scream.

“Tuck your head in so you don’t get any shrapnel lodged into your eyes.”

He sighed and leaned forward to put his head between his knees, and not even a second had passed when the whole front of the car went “BOOM!”

Something something hotter than Hell itself slammed against his cheek, and for a few moments he heard sizzling.

One of his favorite sounds was being used for evil.

But it quickly stopped and fell from his face.

Shag felt Velma grab onto his wrist and squeeze, as they listened to the car settle. His ears were ringing and he was coughing up smoke and dust, and the heat around them had become so drastically intense that he could already feel sweat dripping down his face.

He opened his eyes and found that the air was out to sting them.

Groaning at the sight of dirt spilling in from the shattered windshield.

He heard Velma let out a cough before puling on his wrist and moving toward the charred, front of the car.

“Velma what-” The coughing fit interrupted him once again.

Velma turned to look back at him, he saw a small shard of the windshield sticking out of her forehead, “We know that whoever is up there digging us out has reached the top of our car, so all we need to do is dig our asses out and then pass out on the roof.”

Shag looked down to see the the dirt was already burying her knees, if they were gonna do this then they needed to do it now.

He immediately regretted that decision as soon as his mouth got filled with hot dirt.

Swimming in earth wasn’t exactly a breeze like swimming around in water.

Now that was something Shag was confident in, he had gone scuba-diving so many times he had lost count. But fighting an upwards battle against relentless dirt that needed to occupy every open space was too much. Especially since there was next to know fight left in his body to begin with, just the promise of daylight to caress him and purple eyes to haunt him.

It was a system.

Push up with all the strength he had and then stop, think about food and Scooby and the criminal that did this to them being thrown into jail.

And Daphne, of course.

And even though he was running on empty, he’d push himself up again - squeezing on Velma’s hand to tell her he wasn’t dead yet. And then she’d squeeze back.

He almost made the stupid mistake of opening his mouth again when his free hand no longer felt dirt, but open air.

It only needed to hang out there for a few seconds before felt someone grip onto it, hard, and begin to pull. Shaggy held on tightly to both Velma and the Savior’s hand as, sure enough, he began rise even faster.

And then all at once, there was the sun again, hanging over their heads and welcoming them back into the land of the living.

Shaggy instantly took a deep breath of air as he fell down onto the roof of the car.

Spitting out every last bit of dirt so he could truly appreciate the air he was taking in.

He could hear Velma coughing up a storm behind her and he left out a relived laugh that she had also survived.

Falling down onto his back, he smiled up at the blue sky and felt hot tears streaming down his cheeks.

And then a shadow loomed over him, not even giving him a second to recognize who it was before the figured began to ravish his face with kisses.

Dog kisses.

“He- Hey Scoob! I’m- I’m okay bud, I’m right here!” He reaches up to scratch behind Scooby’s ears, then moving to cradle the dog’s face in his hands. Squishing up his jowls and smiling at how cute he was, “You’re the best pal a guy can ask for. Did you know that?”

Scooby tilts his head and whines.

Shaggy smiles and fights off the sob in his throat, reaching down to pull that forgotten Scooby Snack out of his pocket.

The dog quickly begins panting and scoops the treat up from Shag’s hand, backing away as he swallows it whole.

He smiles again, before jumping at the feeling of somebody grabbing onto his now dog slobber covered hand.

His vision blurs for a second as he tries to focus on all that red, searching for those eyes he can lock onto.

They’re full of tears and kinda puffy, but they’re so happy to see him.

And he’s totally breathless once again.

But this lack of air is something he can deal with.

“I swear, nobody knows how to scare the living hell outta me like you do Shags.” She says it with a shaky laugh, but hearing her voice is enough to make him sob.

“I- I’ll choose to take that as a compliment.”

He gasps out before letting himself come undone.

Daphne giggles as she brings her left hand up to his neck, letting it rest on his cheek, he thumb barely grazing the nasty burn he just remembered he has.

It’s then that it all hits him.

He almost died.

Like if he were a few seconds too slow for anything, than he’d be dead.

And Daphne Blake is above him, squeezing the life out of his hand and stroking his cheek.

‘You need to tell her.’

‘Before she almost loses you again.’

Now that he has the chance to breathe as much as he wants, he finds that all he can do is hold his breath.

“Daphne.” He almost chokes out, lifting his right hand up to brush some hair away from her tear-stained cheeks.

“Shaggy.” She leans into his hand.

“I-”

‘Say it’

“I don’t think I can lose you again.” Daphne breathes out.

Before he can even think of anything to top that, she leans down and presses her lips to his. And through their actions alone, they both know.

They’re in love.

And the other finally can see it.

Her hands tangle up in his hair and he rests his hands on either side of her neck for support.

And they probably did that for several minutes but who’s keeping track of time?

It finally takes Freddie tugging on Daph’s shoulder to break them both apart.

“Daphne, the- uh... the paramedics are here...” He looks like he’s trying not to laugh as Daph slowly backs away, both of them out of breath and red and pretending they have no clue what just happened.

They hear Velma hoot from a short distance behind them.

As Shag and Velma are checked on the gurneys Fred and Daph give them all the details, details which they both already knew.

“And the dang GPS wouldn’t shut up! So then I figured that it was just malfunctioning or something.”

“Freddie, that thing is always malfunctioning.” Velma says as the medic checks her for a concussion.

“Yeah, like, weren’t we supposed to be visiting your uncle this week? Instead it brings us to a haunted amusement park of death!” Winces as they poke and prod his leg.

He hears Velma groan next to him, “Doc, when can I take th damn oxygen mask off?”

The paramedic clicks off his flashlight before saying, “When I say you can...” And then walking away.

Shag chuckles and then lets out a hiss as they try to move his leg.

Daphne bites her lip as she looks down at it, reaching for his hand and tangling their fingers together.

“Nasty right?” Shag jokes, looking up at her.

She gives him a glare that eventually turns somber.

“Just know that she’ll still love you, even with one leg.” Velma yells out, falling into a fit of giggles.

Daph’s face goes red and she rolls her eyes, “I don’t think she’s gonna stop doing that.”

He grins and gives her hand a squeeze.

Suddenly his eyes widen, “Oh! Oh- um do either of y’all remember the name of that lawyer chick?”

Velma jumps in, “Yeah, Shag and I were hashing it all out and we found out that she’d probably have the most to gain from this whole Ferdinand the Death Clown fiasco.”

Fred chuckles, “Ferdinand? I thought we agreed on Beebo?”

“Freddie that’s a dumb name and you’re dumb.” Shaggy says with a smile.

Everybody laughs for a few seconds, just trying to forget the past few hours and remember right now.

The five of them, still together.

“Wait...” Daphne says, “You two were buried alive for hours, and you both spent that time solving the mystery?”

Shag and Velma locks eyes, both bearing a confused look, “Well yeah...” Shag says as he melts into the pillows.

“What else were we supposed to do?” Velma says, eyebrows furrowed.

Daphne and Fred look at each other in astonishment.

Before Daphne snickers and lifts their joined hands up to her lips, pressing a kiss against his knuckles.

“Hey, once a meddling kid, always a meddling kid.” Shag jokes as he ignores the pink, shimmer lip gloss on the back of his hand.

A/N:

This legit took me like a month in total to write because work and school and writer’s block are conspiring against me.

This is based off of my favorite episode of the crime drama Bones, the episode is call “The Aliens in the Spaceship” and it’s a masterpiece.

Before Shaggy and Daphne, there was Hodgins and Angela and they are both very similar dynamic wise. What can I say? I have a type.

I’ve have a crime show addiction since I was young and my parents let me watch CSI with them.

And shows like Bones and Castle hold a very special place in my heart.

So I really wanted to pay homage to one of my favorite episodes from a TV show ever.

#scooby doo #shaphne #Shaggy Rogers #daphne blake #shaphne fanfiction #seriously i LOVE hodgins and angela to death #I would die for some hodgela/shaphne #treatment in any scooby incarnation #who do i need to pay to get some shaphne drame

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emybain · 5 years

Text

Renegades Mermaid AU Fic for MerMay:D

so im posting this on june 1st but only a few hours after may officially ended so this is still valid. I’ve been trying to write this fic for two weeks and have been changing up the outline and plot over and over. I came up with this plot literally like three hours ago so. yeah. the only things yall should know I guess are that the anarchists are merpeople and the renegades are humans. merpeople are considered dangerous bc of the anarchists, and the renegades were mostly former merpeople who chose to live on land. merpeople in this world have the power to go on land and have legs, but the longer they’re on land, the harder it is to change back into a merperson. I had a lot of backstory/information that I wont dump on yall bc it isn't necessary to this short fic soooo enjoy:)))

Fighting a criminal for robbing a supermarket was not how Adrian wanted to spend his Saturday night.

Things had been relatively quiet in Gatlon recently, so Adrian and his team figured that their patrol would be mostly uneventful, and hopefully, result in them being released early. Not that Adrian didn’t like patrol. It was just that it got boring when there wasn’t any actual crime.

And while he was technically fighting crime now, it wasn’t wholly for a worthy cause. Who robs a supermarket close to midnight anyways?

He supposed he should be treating the situation with more enthusiasm. After all, they were currently chasing the infamous Nightmare through Gatlon. She had shown up at a smaller supermarket and held the workers at gunpoint until she got what she needed. Adrian’s team had barely spotted her escaping the store after all getting messages from their communicator bands about her appearance.

Nightmare had proven herself to be a tricky one. The Renegades had been chasing her for almost six months now, and she always managed to disappear before they could catch her. But now tonight. Adrian was determined to get her, corner her, arrest her. It wasn’t because he wanted the credit and fame for her capture. But she had already caused the Renegades and Gatlon enough trouble in the past six months. Her villainous ways had to come to an end. It was the right and just thing to do.

Also she had embarrassed Sketch’s team more than once by beating them, despite being outnumbered.

But Adrian definitely didn’t hold personal grudges when it came to villains. That led to revenge, and he strived for justice. Two completely different things.

“Where is she going?” Ruby shouted from behind Adrian. He could tell she was getting tired of running from the way her breathing got heavier and heavier.

“I don’t know,” Adrian replied. He glanced around them, ahead of them. Nightmare was a good thirty feet away, and she kept turning corners, which made gaining on her increasingly difficult.

“Let’s split up.” Danna appeared beside him, her pulled back dreads whipping in every direction. “Ruby, Oscar, go left, since she likes turning that way; Adrian, you and I keep straight.” Their team did as she said, Oscar and Ruby leaving them, with Oscar trailing behind Ruby a good amount.

Nightmare peaked over her shoulder at them, then, as Danna pointed out, turned left. A gust of wind, filled with salt, slowed Adrian down in realization. He regained his speed as quickly as he had lost it.

“The ocean,” was all he managed to yell in Danna’s direction.

“What?” He thought he saw Danna shaking her head in his peripheral vision. “Why the hell is she going to the ocean? Doesn’t she know it’s dangerous?”

But they pursued her still, and soon, the concrete beneath them became sand, making running more difficult. Oscar and Ruby rushed over to them. They must’ve figured it out as well.

Together, Adrian’s team chased Nightmare down the beach until she ran out of room to run, ending up on a long dock. The wind had increased, blowing sand up into their faces. Nightmare seemed unaffected by it, only acknowledging it when it blew her short hair in front of her face. She tucked the strands back into her hood.

“It’s over, Nightmare.” Oscar leaned on his specialized crutches. “You have nowhere to run. Surrender to the Renegades.”

“Or what?” Nightmare tilted her chin up, cocky. Her eyes glinted, as if she knew something they didn’t, and she was inwardly laughing because of it.

“You’ll be arrested either way,” Adrian spoke up. He took a step closer to her on the dock. “But if you surrender, it’ll be much easier and your punishment will be lessened.”

Nightmare rolled her eyes. “I’m sure.” She looked behind her at the waves, then back at the Renegades. Her hand that wasn’t clutching a gun went to her neck. Adrian blinked, not sure if he was seeing things when her neck began to glow a soft green.

“What is that?” Danna demanded, positioning her feet defensively.

“None of your concern.” Nightmare winked at her. “Well, this was fun. We should do it again sometime, yeah?” she addressed toward the rest of the group. All four of them yelled and ran forward as she turned and dived into the water.

“I don’t see her.” Ruby got down on her knees and bent over the water, although it was too dark to see anything.

Danna cursed and hit Adrian on the arm. When he gave her a questioning look, she pointed ahead without saying anything, eyes transfixed on what was before her.

When Adrian and the others saw what she was pointing at, they cursed as well.

Far enough from the beach was a girl with short hair in the water, with bare shoulders and stuff that glimmered against the moonlight on her cheeks and neck. Adrian could only see her eyes, due to the darkness and distance between them. They stared at one another for a moment. Adrian knew those eyes anywhere.

The girl shook her head, as if coming out of a trance, and dove beneath the waves. Ruby gasped from beside him as a long tail rose up and quickly followed behind her.

Danna gulped. “We have to go to the Council immediately and tell them what we saw and what this means.”

“You think they’re going to care that Nightmare is a mermaid?” Oscar asked, eyebrows furrowed. “All that explains is how she’s been able to get away.”

“They’ll care,” Adrian assured his teammates, gulping. “Danna’s right. This confirms that Nightmare is an Anarchist.”

#Renegades #archenemies #anarchists #Adrian everhart #nova artino #Oscar silva #ruby tucker #danna bell #mermay #my writing #listen #I know its bad #but im at a point in my life where I dont care anymore #k

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bipabrena · 5 years

Text

A Second Chance Chapter V (Titan!Erwin Eruri fic)

Half-arsed summary: Events from chapter 84 had Erwin been given the serum. Soft and obsessive Levi, Erwin struggles with guilt from those he sent to die for a selfish dream, and everything with Zeke-Marley will be far different under Erwin’s leadership.

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Erwin’s hands slowly went up and down, up and down—intertwined on his stomach, moving along with his soft breathing. He was dressed in all white, his blond hair layered to the front.

After a few moments, he slowly opened his eyes.

He felt warm grains underneath him, and his brows furrowed slightly in confusion. It was like laying on soil, but… somehow, it felt different.

He sat up, arms on his sides. He clenched his fists and grazed the grain, feeling it accumulate between his fingers. He looked to his sides and saw some sort of yellow, powdery soil. He cupped a fistful on both hands, and brought them to his chest. He observed it, sniffed it—it seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, yet it looked and felt so different.

He slowly stood up, producing a grunt as he did so.

He scanned the area in both directions, and what he took in was the yellow, powdery grain, and what appeared to be a massive lake with… waves? Waves washing up every now and then.

His brows furrowed and mouth hung in awe.

The lake was incredible. It was multiple shades of blue he would’ve never deemed possible had he not seen them himself. Even the sky appeared to mimic it, blending the same colours.

Like a beautiful mirage.

To his right, several feet away, he noted a figure. He couldn’t make out if it was male or female, but they were slumped forward, hugging their knees.

He approached them, fascinated by the sound the lake made every time the waves seemed to wash up the powdery grain.

Seeing the figure more clearly, it was a well-built person, covered in a beige cardigan. Their hair danced to the wind, and they rested their chin on their knees.

“Hello?” Erwin said.

It took the person several seconds to slowly turn their head, shooting Erwin a backwards glance.

Erwin’s eyes widened.

“Hello,” the person responded.

Erwin, reflexively, took a step back. “… Bertolt?”

“Mm,” he nodded.

He looked forward again, and Erwin had no idea what to do.

“May I sit with you?”

Bertolt looked back at him, shrugging. “Sure, Commander.” His brows rose at his words. “No,” he regretted. “Erwin. Just Erwin.”

Erwin advanced, sitting right next to him. “You know,” he sat cross-legged, “It’s still the norm for enemies to address each other with the appropriate titles,” he jested, for no reason in particular.

“You’re right,” Bertolt tilted his head, resting it on his knees. He closed his eyes as a gust of wind ruffled his hair. “But here, titles don’t matter. I guess we’re equals now.”

Erwin observed every inch of Bertolt’s body, wary. Why wasn’t the enemy preparing for battle when Erwin was right there?

Then again, what could Bertolt do?

And the same question applied to Erwin. Why was his first instinct to politely ask if he could sit with him, and engage in conversation?

He didn’t have a blade to take his head, but as long as he had his limbs, he could still fight.

“… Where are we, anyway?” Erwin asked. His eyes never left Bertolt, but Bertolt’s never met his.

“This is a landform surrounded by water… what you see before you is called the ocean. This,” he cupped a fistful of the powdery grain, “is called sand. It’s the result of the disintegration of rocks. These two things form what is called a beach.”

Bertolt stretched his legs, leaning back on his hands, and the movement made Erwin flinch in caution.

Bertolt noticed, and still looking forward, his eyes darted to Erwin. “You don’t need to be so wary, Commander. Can’t you see I’m completely defenseless?” his eyes narrowed sadly. “Besides, someone like you… shouldn’t even be afraid of a person like me…”

“I thought you said titles didn’t matter.”

“Old habits die hard, I guess.”

They were in silence for too long.

“Beach, huh…”

Erwin observed Bertolt intently, noticing how he deliberately avoided looking at Erwin.

“Bertolt,” Erwin said. “Why are you here?”

“Beats me,” he tucked his head between his knees. “I’m stuck here.”

“But… I…”

“Ate me?” Bertolt finally looked at him.

Erwin brushed his hair back. “I must be dreaming.”

“Not really.”

“Huh?”

“I’m as real as you are, Commander.”

I’m just dreaming, Erwin thought to himself. He’s dead…

“You’re wrong,” Bertolt said.

Erwin’s brows creased. He looked at Bertolt, alarmed.

“You’re not dreaming. I’m as real as you are, Commander,” he reiterated.

For the first time, Bertolt held eye contact. His emerald eyes pierced the Commander’s icy blue ones.

They were silent, and despite the soothing sound of the waves hitting the shore, the tension between them only grew.

Eventually, Bertolt gave in and broke the eye contact, drop of sweat forming on his forehead.

Erwin looked forward at the waves, tense.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he quickly hurtled at Bertolt, striking him right in the face. Bertolt’s head snapped to the side, eyes widening immensely at the unforeseen hit.

He looked at Erwin and was able to dodge another hit, just in time. He stood up and kicked Erwin’s stomach, stumbling him back, knocking the air out of him. Erwin was quick to react and held onto Bertolt’s leg before he could let go, surprising him. Bertolt tried to pull his leg back, but Erwin held it tighter against him.

He brought his knee up to support Bertolt’s leg, and brought down his elbow to try to break it.

Bertolt was able to see right through him in time, and managed to jump and kick Erwin in the face.

Bertolt fell, and tried to stand up to run away.

Erwin recovered and held on to Bertolt’s ankle and pulled him, making the two of them fall on the sand.

They rolled around several times, grunting, until Erwin managed to position himself on top of Bertolt, holding him tightly in place with his knees. He struck him in the face several times, snapping his head to the sides over and over again, until he spurted blood.

Bertolt was so taken aback by the sudden outburst, he had barely been able to fight back.

Erwin then wrapped his hands around his neck, choking him. His jaw was clenched so tightly he swore his teeth would shatter.

He leaned forward, so close to Bertolt their noses almost touched.

“Tell me everything you know!”

Bertolt coughed, panting for air as the blood clogged his nose.

Erwin impatiently clutched the flannel of his shirt, shaking him. “Tell me everything you know! Tell me!”

Bertolt growled at him, baring his bloodied teeth.

“Where do you come from!? Why do you want the people in the walls to die!?”

Bertolt spat blood on his face, making Erwin flinch.

Bertolt took advantage of his second’s hesitation and head-butt him square in the nose, breaking it. Erwin stumbled back, and Bertolt kicked him away.

Erwin rolled backwards to the waves, and breathed in the salty water.

He got on all fours, coughing. He felt a tug on his hair, and saw a bloodied Bertolt, furious eyes, formerly emerald now nearly black. Bertolt pushed him into the water. Erwin tried to hold his breath, but the severity of the situation had left him nearly breathless and gasping for air. The salt water burned his lungs.

He used all his strength to pull back, but Bertolt had one hand firmly placed on his nape, the other on his hair.

Erwin submerged his hand and brought it to his mouth, ready to bite it.

Bertolt noticed and tugged his head back, pulling him out of the water.

Erwin took a violent inhale, hand on his chest as he had a coughing fit.

He violently cleared his throat and sniffled, a mixture of blood and salt water running down his nose.

His head then forcefully snapped to the side, and two molars were sent flying as Bertolt’s foot met his cheek. He fell on his chin, and remained still.

“Ugh…” he groaned, vision blurry.

He was rolled on his back, and he looked up at a panting Bertolt. He looked down at him, wiping the blood off his nose with his sleeve.

“You spawn of the devil,” he panted.

Erwin tried to move, but couldn’t.

Bertolt got on top of him, and wrapped his hands around Erwin’s neck. He began choking him, and Erwin gripped his wrists as tightly as he could, squirming underneath him.

Bertolt felt his ulna was about to snap, but he didn’t waver.

Erwin felt drops on his face, and he initially thought it was blood, but it was tears. As angry as he looked, Bertolt was crying. He also looked remorseful—broken. For a moment, this made Erwin hesitate, and he loosened his grip on Bertolt’s wrists.

But Bertolt’s painfully tight grasp didn’t waver, and Erwin felt himself slowly lose consciousness.

Bertolt, exhausted, collapsed on top of Erwin, panting since he was barely able to breathe properly. Arms shaking, he was able to bring himself up. He looked at a slowly fainting Erwin. “Looks like you won’t remember this one either, Commander. I’ll see you again soon.”

“Erwin!” Hange frantically shook Erwin for what seemed to be the fiftieth time, and Levi’s concern had been growing immensely. He asked Hange whether he should bring in a nurse, and Hange took a few seconds to contemplate.

And then, Erwin gasped violently, slamming his palms against the desk, startling both Levi and Hange.

Erwin’s deranged eyes scanned the room, trying to look for the person he just dreamt of.

He stood up, hazy, stumbling back and falling against the window, hitting his head. The window quickly vibrated from the brunt of the hit.

“Erwin!” Levi ran to his aid, but Erwin pushed him, tipsily walking past him.

“Where is he!?” he yelled.

“What?” Hange said. “Where’s who?”

Erwin continued looking around the room, holding his neck.

He walked around his office, then opened his room’s door. Hange and Levi followed him, immensely worried.

“Where is he!?” he shrieked at them. “Show yourself!” he scoured the office, opening his closet, moving his bookshelves.

“Where’s who!?” they simultaneously asked.

“The coated man! Where is he!?”

“What man!?” Hange yelled. “What are you talking about?”

Erwin walked towards the office door to open it, to go outside and see if he could find any answers. He was too hazy, however, and tripped.

He landed on his right cheek. Despite the pain, he welcomed the floor, and panted quietly, breathing gradually stabilising. He slowly closed his eyes, exhausted.

Levi got on his knees behind him. He pulled Erwin back, holding him close. He looked up at Hange in absolute confusion.

“L-let’s put him in bed,” she suggested, equally confused.

“He’s burning up,” Levi said as he carried him. “Should we take off his clothes?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “You take off the lower straps, I’ll take off the upper ones and his harness.”

They lay him on the bed and tried to unbuckle his belts, but Erwin was heavy and as stiff as a board.

“Okay, um…” Hange said, scratching her head. “Hold him for me and I’ll unstrap them.”

Levi frowned, wanting to refuse. He wanted to be the one to strip Erwin, but he also didn’t want Hange holding him. “Tch…” he complied. He sat behind Erwin, holding him in place as Hange knelt in front of him, unbuckling the straps.

Levi closed his eyes, distraught. He unconsciously, gradually shifted his hold to a warm, backwards hug.

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Read the rest of the chapter here. I do suggest reading the story from the beginning... eeheeheheh *flees in shy laughter*

#snk fic #Eruri #eruri fic #levi ackerman #Erwin Smith #titan!erwin #erwin x levi

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softmakoharus · 6 years

Text

makoharu fanfiction - catalyst

Summary: Haru wakes up on a Saturday morning, prepared to spend the day with Makoto like he usually does. It also happens to be Valentine's Day, and Haru is reminded of an important memory of the holiday from when he and Makoto were children. This fond memory, however, disrupts his entire plan for a normal Saturday. Haru tries to regain control of his feelings as he hurries to make chocolates for Makoto before he arrives. Words: 7129 Rating: General Additional tags: Fluff, Mutual Pining, First Kiss Link: AO3

In science, the chaos theory refers to the unpredictability of the universe. According to the phenomenon known as the butterfly effect, a butterfly can, inadvertently of course, cause a natural disaster, be it typhoon or tornado, thousands of kilometers away simply by flapping its wings.

It may sound improbable, but the idea is that even the smallest change in a system can have a huge impact. In essence, the future cannot be predicted.

Or at least that’s what it says on the 365 Days of Butterflies calendar sitting next to Haru’s bed. It's an unnecessary addition to his life, but it was a going-away present from Rei, so Haru makes sure to use it. Typically, the calendar just says different things about butterfly colorings and migration patterns. Today’s page leaves Haru uneasy.

He suddenly feels as though he’s at the mercy of the universe, specifically the brimstone butterfly of Central Europe. Everything is ultimately out of his control. And for someone who knowingly manages to avoid change as much as possible, the thought of such an inescapable instability is rather disconcerting, especially first thing in the morning.

Haru scoffs at himself, blaming his witless just-woken brain for the unnerving thoughts, and uncurls from his sleeping position. His limbs always require a good stretch in the morning, so he rolls onto his back and lifts his arms over his head, palms nearly touching the low ceiling of his loft, while flexing his feet to work his calf muscles. He relaxes and lets his arms rest naturally behind his head.

And then he waits for the alarm on his cell phone to go off, like it always does ten minutes after he wakes up. A predictable start to a predictable day, butterflies be damned.

He takes this time to run through today's routine in his head. It's Saturday, or as his teammates teasingly call it, Makoto Day. It didn't take them long to discover that inviting Haru out on Saturdays was useless because he always had plans with his childhood best friend. He knows they’re reading too much into it, but really, it wouldn’t be a big deal at all to tell Makoto not to come over; it’s just easier to let the pattern repeat. That’s all it is.

Like every Saturday, he'll go for a quick jog, not straying too far from his apartment building, followed by a shower, breakfast, and laundry. This weekend he has a little bit of homework to finish up, but other than that, he'll have plenty of time to relax until Makoto shows up for a late lunch.

Haru turns his head to the wall closest to him. Another needless calendar hangs there, another going-away present, this one from Nagisa. He’s not really sure what it is about him that makes people assume he needs or wants calendars, but the one from Coach Sasabe was wildly inappropriate and ended up in the trash.

This one, though, is quite nice to look at.

The pictures for each month are all interesting architectural pools from around the world. February displays a Singaporean hotel with its outdoor pool raised on top of the building. The photo itself is beautiful, the twilight sky glowing pink and orange; what could certainly be called terrifying instead looks warm and inviting. That's probably why Makoto, whom Haru thought would be scared of the daunting two-hundred-meter height, said it might be nice to go there. Haru was pleased by that revelation, for some reason or another.

The calendar also has markings on all of their birthdays and holidays—most of them real, but he supposes that National Send Nagisa a Cake Day is probably made up. It currently being February, Nagisa drew pointed teeth along the top border of the second day’s square to signify Rin’s birthday.

And then there's today, February 14th, with clichéd hearts surrounding a badly drawn winking face with its tongue sticking out. Haru centers in on the date. It's just a normal Saturday, he assures himself, trying not to think too deeply about why he needs the assurance.

Right on schedule, his phone starts its quiet steady beeping, drawing attention to Haru's increasingly irregular heartbeat. The reliability of his alarm, though, gives him an odd comfort. While most people abhor their alarms, Haru finds it relieving, a sign that everything is going as it should be, and his heartbeat slows to its normal pace.

He turns it on to shut it off and checks his messages. Sometimes Makoto will send him some random thought after Haru has already gone to sleep. This morning, though, his only missed messages are the four from Mrs. Tachibana.

His heart beats extra loud, just once, just to nudge him as if to say, "Hey, this isn't what you were expecting, is it?" He considers ignoring the message and asking Makoto about it later, but ultimately gives in, just in case she needs something important.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Nope, not important at all. He continues reading anyway.

Last week, Ran and Ren were really missing you and Makoto, so they wanted to look through some old photo albums. We came across these pictures of Makoto from Valentine’s Day when you boys were six years old and he made you chocolate. You might not even remember, but you were both very happy that day.

Haru recalls it immediately. He can clearly picture himself opening the front door to greet Makoto, who held a small white box filled with messy little chocolate cubes that were very obviously made without much interference from either parent.

For some reason, the white box is what stands out most in his mind.

Makoto drew all over it with markers for decoration and explained to Haru what all the poorly drawn symbols meant. “The hearts are because I love you,” he said as if it was the easiest most sensible thing to say. “And these are stars because we like to look at them at night. And this is us and we’re holding hands because that’s nice. And this is the sun because it’s what you said I remind you of!” Makoto smiled widest at that, Haru still remembers, blushing at the awareness that even now, Makoto still shines very brightly.

The whole idea of giving chocolate to Haru originated from their teacher at the time. She told the class that people used Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to give the confection to "those who were closest to their heart." And Makoto looked so happy when he told Haru, repeating it word for word, that he was that person.

Haru ate the chocolate without hesitation, even if it was too sweet. And that was the last time Makoto had given him any. The next year, the two of them found out that their teacher had neglected to mention to the class that it’s the girls who give the chocolate to the boys. As a result, Haru never gave him any chocolate, either. He’s briefly overcome with remorse for never getting to make Makoto as happy as he remembers being back then.

He scrolls up before the text message to see the three photos Mrs. Tachibana sent along, too: Makoto at the kitchen counter stirring a bowl of melted chocolate; Makoto holding the finished box; Haru accepting the box from Makoto, both of them with smiles on their faces.

Sudden chaos.

A storm swirls in Haru’s heart.

He thinks about Makoto, and his chest aches and rumbles with what he can only identify, somewhat reluctantly, as longing to be with him. It’s not the first time this has happened, and it’s not the first time he thinks, as a result, about how spoiled he was by their time in Iwatobi.

Before they came to university, he and Makoto saw each other nearly every day. He knew all he had to do was walk down the stairs and Makoto’s house would be there; Makoto himself was just as reliable, always by his side, well within reach. But now they’re forced apart, and for the first time, Haru knows what it feels like to really miss his best friend over and over, more and more with each passing week.

Even though they message each other every day, reading words on the screen can’t come close to Makoto’s presence. Sitting beside him, seeing his smile, hearing his thoughts about everything. When he’s with Makoto, he’s lying on the heated sand back in Iwatobi, arms resting at his side, a sunny day—always a sunny day—letting the warm waves wash over his legs up to his fingertips.

But if there’s one thing Haru knows he’s good at it, it’s suppressing his feelings about Makoto. He recognizes how precious he is to him, there’s no subduing something rooted so deeply in his core, but once it begins to go beyond that into something more explicit, the moment his heart swells and starts to overflow with emotion, the quick instant when he imagines telling Makoto how much he cares about him, he gets scared of his own thoughts and manages to ebb the flow before it can spill over into something tangible.

Right now, though, he’s having trouble escaping those thoughts. His heart is in turmoil, heavy with havoc, too heavy to get up and out of bed. He rolls over to go back to sleep, knowing it will be futile, that he’s only delaying that inevitable moment where he gives up trying to silence the voice in the back of his head telling him that Makoto would appreciate some Valentine’s Day chocolate.

For the time being, he’ll lie in bed and convince himself he can sleep it off. These feelings will subside, like they always do. Makoto will come over, like he always does. It will be the same as last week and every week before that. There’s no sense doing something as entirely excessive as buying him chocolate before he comes—or worse, making it for him. It’s the girls who give boys chocolate. It doesn’t matter what happened when they were kids.

Haru’s entire day has been thrown out of order, and he’s annoyed and angry but still completely in control of the situation and his emotions.

Or so he stubbornly wanted to believe.

Five hours later, the inevitable arrives.

Haru held out as long as he could but ultimately gave up, as time dangerously approached Makoto's scheduled arrival. He rushed to the store to buy some nice Valentine’s Day chocolate in hopes it would at least temporarily silence the storm in his heart. But then he saw the silicon mold of a dozen little fish and it made him smile, which of course made him imagine Makoto’s face lighting up, and he felt compelled beyond all reason to buy it.

And now, as Haru struggles to remove the hardened chocolate pieces from their fish-shaped molds, he panics. It’s a feeling he’s all too familiar with. That quickened heartbeat sounding loudly in his ears, a shuddering unsteady hand, lungs hung heavy with cement. Past memories of Makoto appear unwillingly, instances where he can still feel the fear of losing the person who means the most to him.

But despite those recollections that continue to throb painfully in his heart, a smile sneaks past Haru’s lips. For someone who has the ability to put his mind so effortlessly at ease, Makoto sure is good at making him worry.

“Idiot,” he mumbles under his breath, not sure if he’s talking about Makoto or himself.

He finally manages to get the second of the twelve fish loose and can’t help but admire his accomplishment. The chocolate is slightly glossy, and the etchings of the scales show up very visibly. He moves on to the next one, trying to be careful in completing this self-inflicted last-minute task while also hurrying to finish before Makoto arrives.

A rational person would probably tell Haru he’s overreacting, he realizes. It’s just chocolate, and Makoto is incredibly easy to please when it comes to his favorite food. That same person would probably ask why Haru’s even going to the trouble to make his best friend chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

Haru thinks that person needs to mind their own business.

At last, the final fish pops out of the mold. “There we go,” he says to himself, exhaling with relief. As he sets it inside the green tin to join the other perfectly formed chocolates, his phone buzzes. He unlocks the screen and smiles at Makoto’s two messages.

First: I just picked up the pizza, so I’ll see you soon!

Second: a picture of Makoto smiling, holding the pizza box up to his face, as though Haru needs proof that the pizza has in fact been acquired.

Easily one of the best things that happened since coming to Tokyo is Makoto’s ongoing obsession with taking pictures of everything and sharing them with Haru. Living apart and going to different schools, there’s a greater variety in the things they see on a daily basis compared to their lives in Iwatobi.

A small smile emerges as he saves the photo to the album completely dedicated to all the ones from Makoto, photos of cute cats and lovely sunsets and that one blurry photo of Makoto’s face that he accidentally sent and demanded Haru delete immediately.

The pizza place they occasionally visit is only about a five minute walk from Haru’s apartment, so that’s how much time he has to clean up and hide all the evidence of this ridiculous task. Luckily, he’s able to quickly wash and dry the dishes. Now he just has to figure out what to do with the box of chocolates. When should he give them? What should he say? How does he stop his face from flushing every time he thinks about it?

He decides to carry the tin out to the living area. His panic from before slowly transforms into a nervous energy as he realizes he’s finally about to repay Makoto for that chocolate all those years ago. What outcome are you expecting from this? he asks himself. Is it the same as the outcome you’re hoping for?

He’s not sure, or rather, Haru chooses to ignore the introspective question and busies himself with setting the tin on the table in a way that looks like he casually tossed it there. He sits down and tries to make himself look just as casually placed, but he’s suddenly aware of his hands and specifically what to do with them. He has forgotten how to do anything remotely casual, so it’s a startling relief when Makoto knocks lightly before opening the door and puts an end to his uncommon bout of clumsiness.

Makoto walks inside and smiles when he sees Haru. “Ah, it’s such a nice day. Warmer than I expected. I probably didn’t need my jacket, but I was already wearing it so I left it on,” he explains a little too thoroughly. He removes his overnight bag from his shoulder and sets it down in front of the door. “Did you go outside at all today?”

Of course I went out, Haru thinks. He had to rush to the store to buy chocolate and a mold that was innocuous enough that it wouldn’t be misinterpreted as romantic—even if it did happen to be the correct interpretation—and an ugly chartreuse tin that he’s sure is identical to the one his grandma used for recipe cards, but it was the first thing he saw and he didn’t have time to stand around contemplating various containers. “Mm, I went for a walk a little bit ago,” he lies without technically lying.

Makoto goes to the kitchen counter to set down the pizza box. “It smells good in here,” he remarks. He smiles, his eyes sneaking around to look for any evidence of sweets while his heart starts to beat faster. Surely Haru knows it’s Valentine’s Day. “Were you baking cookies or something?”

Haru stands up and makes his way to join Makoto and the pizza in the kitchen. “Why would I do that?” he answers a little too angrily, but he is angry at Makoto’s keen dog-like sense of smell. He grabs two plates and two glasses out of the cabinet and sets them down by the sink.

Makoto’s not sure why Haru’s upset by the question, but he doesn’t want to pry, so he simply unzips his jacket and smiles. “Got it. Maybe one of your neighbors then, or something.”

Haru watches Makoto’s face fall in disappointment and can practically see his poor puppy dog ears flatten against his head. Shit, maybe he should have baked cookies. At least then he could have played it off as being an unintentional Valentine’s Day gift. Chocolate is so painfully obvious. He wonders if it’s too late to fake being sick and send Makoto home.

But before Haru can give a feigned cough, Makoto takes off his jacket, and Haru doesn’t want to ever send him home because damn it, he’s wearing that navy flannel button-up that somehow makes his green eyes glow even brighter. It’s just a bit too tight across his chest, and Haru knows the brave button that’s doing its best to stay attached is fighting a losing battle, and he hopes he’s around to see its demise.

And then there’s that same heather gray shirt that Makoto always wears underneath, and damn it he mentioned that it’s warm outside, so there are probably light sweat marks across the back because Makoto’s back is always the first place to start sweating, and Haru hates himself for knowing that and not being able to do anything with the information except blush furiously.

While Makoto hangs up his jacket by the front door, Haru desperately distracts himself with their drinks, pouring water for himself and milk for Makoto. He hears Makoto walking back toward him, so Haru opens the fridge and moves things around for no other reason than to give himself a chance to bend over, because Makoto deserves some retaliation for wearing that shirt.

And maybe Makoto doesn’t notice, or worse doesn’t care, but Haru’s wearing his black joggers that are almost too fitted in the hips with a seam up the backside cut just right to really make his ass look good, and if someone were to suggest he wore them on purpose because Makoto was coming over today, he would never confess to such an absurd accusation.

“Haru, I’ll have milk if you—oh, you already poured me some. Thank—“ Makoto almost manages to finish his sentence until he gets to the kitchen and sees Haru in the fridge and completely forgets what words even are, let alone how to speak them.

He can’t help but notice Haru’s pants. They hug his body in all the right places, especially his butt, and even though he has seen Haru’s bare legs more times than he can possibly count, there’s something that he finds particularly alluring about them being covered up, knowing what’s under there but not being able to see it. And the best part about these particular pants is that they’re just thin and tight enough that sometimes Makoto can make out the faint outline from the hem on Haru’s boxer briefs along the top of his thigh, and thinking about it makes him want to shove the entire pizza in his mouth.

He manages to remain calm and opens the pizza box just as Haru finishes whatever it was he was doing and closes the fridge.

Haru stands next to Makoto and waits for him to finish piling up his plate. “Leave some for me,” he jokes.

Makoto laughs and grabs his fourth and final piece. “I’m hungry! I haven’t eaten all day.”

“Whose fault is that?” Haru shoots back. “Don’t make me starve because of your bad decisions.” He takes two slices for himself and follows Makoto to the small table, disappointed when they sit just barely too far apart for their knees to touch.

And Makoto won’t say it, but it is kind of Haru’s fault. When he woke up this morning, he opened his phone to find a message from his mom. He laughed fondly when he saw the attached images. As the story goes, on that Valentine’s Day when he was six years old, Makoto came to his mom holding the small glass jar filled with his life savings of approximately 750 yen. He looked up at her with big worrying eyes and asked, “Mommy, how much does chocolate cost?”

She assured him that he didn’t need to buy his own chocolate and offered him a piece from his dad’s supply in the cabinet above the sink.

“No, Mommy,” he replied. “I mean the special valentine chocolate. Is it very much?”

Makoto explained that wanted to buy the special valentine chocolate for Haru-chan. His mom told him she could help him make his own, because that would be even more meaningful. Some would probably say that he and Haru were too young back then to understand the implications of the chocolate exchange, but sometimes he thinks he understood his feelings better then than he does now.

And that’s when Makoto realized the weight of his heart, nearly bursting with every thought and feeling for Haru that he shoved in there over the years—his entire life, really—refusing to let them escape. He further realized that this would be the first Valentine’s Day they spent alone together. He even thought about bringing Haru chocolate, like he did that time when they were just little kids.

But things were easier then. The older he and Haru got, the more awkward it seemed to tell him things like I love you, even though he cared about him more deeply than anyone, himself included, could ever understand. And the more difficult it became to give him any sort of physical contact aside from offering his hand, even though he wanted to embrace him in a tight hug and never let go. But the thing that hurt the most was how much it ached to be apart from him. He thought it would get easier, that he would get used to the distance, but he never did.

He considers that he’s reading too much into things, but it seems to be the same for Haru. He was the one who first suggested that their Saturday evening hangouts begin a little earlier and end a little later, until it was just expected that Makoto would spend the night. It didn’t matter if Haru had early practice Sunday morning; Makoto would sleep in and wait for him to come back. If one of them was swamped with homework, that was fine, too; it was still better to be with each other. Listening to Haru’s voice, laughing along with his teasing, being completely unabashedly himself. When he’s with Haru, he’s lying in bed wrapped in the softest blanket, warm and comfortable and safe.

So when he woke up today and recalled that childhood memory, his body was heavy with emotion and expectations. He managed to somewhat divert his attention to deep cleaning his apartment, and before he could even calm down enough to eat anything, it was time to leave to pick up lunch.

And now here he is with Haru, together on Valentine’s Day, sharing that lunch. It only takes Makoto ten seconds to notice the green tin in front of him. It reminds him of a certain container that Haru’s grandma had, but he never recognized it here before, so it must be new. “What’s this?” Makoto asks, poking the tin to gauge how heavy its contents are.

Haru’s eye twitches; he knew Makoto would notice the gift sooner or later.

Panic, panic, panic. What if Makoto says he can’t accept the chocolate? What if he correctly assesses the situation but doesn’t feel the same? What if Haru really loses Makoto this time? The storm in his chest grows suddenly violent.

He wants to run away before giving Makoto the chance to do it, but he manages to respond. “Oh, that’s for you. If you want it. After lunch.” He speaks in short sentences to try and keep his voice from cracking.

Makoto doesn’t even know what it is, but his eyes and mouth go wide with excitement. Was Haru lying about the cookies earlier to keep it a surprise? He tries not to get his hopes up with speculation, so instead he eats as quickly as possible, trying not to make it seem too obvious.

He wipes off his hands and his mouth and then reaches for the tin, but Haru grabs it first.

“Oi, I’m still eating.” He holds it behind him out of Makoto’s reach.

“Haru,” Makoto whines.

“It’s nothing worth getting that excited over.”

“Then let me open it!”

Haru moves the tin to his lap. “After lunch.” He secretly hopes Makoto will refuse to comply and attempt to take it from him anyway. Then he’ll playfully grab Makoto’s big strong arms while Makoto gently pushes him to the ground. His heart beats faster, and he can almost hear it laughing at him for even thinking such things.

Makoto sighs, exaggerated, and says he understands. He wonders if it would be silly to try and grab the box, but he doesn’t want to disrupt Haru’s meal. Still, the thought of trying to wrestle it from him makes him feel suddenly warmer. The problem is, he already took off his jacket, and he can’t take off his shirt because he can feel the slightly wet fabric of his t-shirt clinging to his back, and the last thing he wants is for Haru to see something that unattractive.

He opts for rolling up the sleeves to at least let his skin breathe a little more. Flannel probably wasn’t the best choice for today, considering the temperature outside, but it just so happened to be the shirt he saw first when he opened his closet, and it's definitely not like he has purposely kept it at the front of his closet ever since that time Haru said he liked the color on him.

Haru looks up from his pizza and cannot even believe Makoto has the audacity to come into his home and expose his forearms like that, muscles tight against the rolled cuffs.

Makoto folds his arms on the table and tries to start a conversation while he waits for Haru to finish eating. “You know, the girl at the pizza place looked at me so pitifully when she handed me the food. She probably thought I was spending Valentine’s Day all alone without a date.”

It sounds to Haru like Makoto is implying that this is a date, but surely he’s misunderstanding. “That’s exactly what you’re doing, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.” So it’s definitely not a date, then. It was too much to hope Haru would call it that. “But I’m not alone.”

“You should have played it up more, and maybe she would have felt bad and given you our food for free.”

Makoto brings his hand to his chin and thoughtfully considers. “Well, she did look like she wanted to give me a hug. Maybe I should have let her.” He watches Haru for a reaction and swears he can see him clench his jaw.

Haru takes another bite of his final slice of pizza but has found he lost his appetite. He stacks his plate on top of Makoto’s and hands over the box as promised. It’s best to just get it over with, lest he lose Makoto to some pizza girl who would take pity on his broken heart.

Makoto quickly pulls off the lid and identifies the chocolates as unmistakably handmade. His face drops when he realizes what they mean. “Oh, did someone give you these?” He smiles, hurt but trying to pretend like he’s not. He wonders who it was. A girl from class? A girl from the swim team? A random girl he met earlier today on his walk who has everything in common with Haru and was also carrying a tin of chocolate just in case she suddenly met the man of her dreams by happenstance?

Haru’s chest tightens at the thought of giving Makoto secondhand chocolate, and he almost calls him out for even thinking he’d be that insensitive. “No, Makoto, they’re for you. I made them for you.” He speaks as seriously as he can so there’s no more confusion about where the gift came from, and his face blushes as further proof.

He keeps his composure even though his insides are screaming and dying and also on fire somehow. Probably not literally on fire, although he thinks it’s likely his face is going to burst into flames at any moment from embarrassment.

I made you Valentine’s Day chocolate, he’s saying. It’s a coward’s confession, because he’s not really confessing. He’s just putting words out there and leaving Makoto to interpret them however he wants.

And he hopes he interprets them how he intends. Maybe that’s not fair, but it’s what he hopes. It may look like chocolate, but Haru feels like he wrapped up his heart and placed it in that tin.

Makoto thinks he’s an idiot for jumping to conclusions. Of course Haru would never give him a gift that someone else gave him. It just seemed out of the realm of possibilities that Haru would purposely make chocolate, specially for him, on today of all days.

He’s overcome with gratitude and looks up to meet Haru’s eyes, staring deeply into them just for a moment before speaking. “Haru… thank you.” He marvels at the cute little chocolate fish, trusting that they don’t contain any actual fish flavor. “They’re almost too nice to eat!” All of his feelings come together to yell at him that his best friend just gave him handmade Valentine’s Day chocolate. He takes a piece and swallows his feelings along with it, trying to keep them from jumping to more conclusions. “It’s really good! You put caramel in the center? Amazing…”

“It was easy. I’m glad you like them.” And he is glad Makoto likes them, but for all he knows, Makoto is just happy for his friendship chocolate and so happy to be Haru’s friend and happy they can be together today as friends, and Haru has never hated the word friend as vehemently as he does right at this moment.

Makoto picks up another piece and holds it up. “Do you want to try one?” He smiles as he moves it closer to Haru’s mouth. “Here!” The exhilaration of the action incites the acceleration of his heartbeat. But Haru didn’t leave him any other choice. He can’t figure out what he wants, so Makoto just needs to push him a little to see how he reacts.

Haru’s still not sure if Makoto is just being his same naïve self or if he’s ruthlessly acting on emotions that Haru wants to believe he feels because he can no longer deny that he himself feels them, too. He opens his mouth and lightly flicks his tongue over the tip of Makoto’s finger as he accepts the chocolate. It tastes salty almost, as though his hands are sweaty. It’s unusual. Even after swimming, his hands are always warm and dry. Could he be nervous?

Makoto watches Haru eat the chocolate, and he can’t stop himself from staring at his lips. He tightens his hands into fists, finally finding the fortitude to ask permission to kiss him. He hesitates just once, just to make sure he's ready, and recounts the entire day: his own feelings, the chocolate gift, the way Haru's looking at him right now, the fact that he definitely just licked Makoto's finger.

It’s not just his imagination that Haru will reciprocate his feelings. There’s no way. “Haru…” he starts.

Makoto’s heartbeat thumps loudly in his ears, so deafening that he almost doesn’t hear his phone chime to tell him he has a message. He and Haru both jump, startled, as the tension around them breaks into a billion tiny worthless pieces. Haru wants to pick up the phone and throw it against the wall and leave it just as worthless, but he doesn’t think Makoto will appreciate that.

Before Haru can see whom the message is from or what it says, Makoto grabs the phone. However, Haru does manage to notice the pink heart emoji. It’s a big heart with a smaller heart next to it, and he can’t even fathom what it means exactly, but it is a heart and there’s really only one reason to use that. No one says innocent things like, "Did you finish the worksheet yet?" followed by a heart emoji.

A smile spreads slowly across Makoto's face, which is usually the best sight Haru has ever seen, but right now he feels rejected before he even got to tell Makoto how much he means to him, how much he’s always meant to him, and how desperately he wants to kiss him. The message probably says something like, "I hope you enjoyed the chocolate I made for you!" because of course Makoto probably got chocolate already, better chocolate, imported from Switzerland and not shaped like stupid fish.

Makoto returns his phone to the table and glances at Haru; he looks irritated. Is it because the text interrupted the moment they were sharing? Or does he think it’s from someone he’s prepared to fight to win Makoto’s love? Makoto blushes at the thought and thinks it’s best to clarify. “That was just a mass text. Check your phone. You probably got it, too.”

Haru furrows his brow in confusion, but he does as he’s told and pulls out his phone. Sure enough, there’s a single missed message.

Thinking of you today, Valentine!!

It’s from an unknown number, which can only mean one thing. He rolls his eyes and looks at Makoto. “Ki—?”

Before even a second syllable from Kisumi’s cursed name leaves his mouth, Haru is able to stop himself. He’s aware of the terrible timing and what it would sound like he’s saying to Makoto. This wouldn’t be the first time his name caused such awkward confusion, and he bets it’s something that brings Kisumi unmitigated glee. Haru absolutely wants to kiss Makoto more than anything right now, but he won’t give Kisumi the satisfaction of being responsible for it.

And then he notices Makoto staring at his mouth. Haru realizes how dry his lips feel and absentmindedly licks them.

“Do you want me to?” Makoto asks quietly, blush appearing across his cheeks. And because he doesn't want Haru to assume he's only asking because of something as frivolous as Kisumi's name, he clarifies, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I was about to ask you, before... that. So, do you want me to?"

Haru doesn’t know how to respond because he still doesn’t believe this is real. “Want you to what?” He regrets his response immediately, certain that his hesitation is going to scare Makoto away.

Luckily for Haru, all of Makoto’s doubt has dissolved into determination. He smiles, sitting up on his knees to scoot closer until they lightly touch Haru’s leg. “Do you want me to kiss you?” He smiles faintly and stares into Haru’s eyes. He can tell Haru’s not sure, that he’s probably struggling in the same way Makoto has been, and that gives him hope. He hasn’t said no yet. “Haru, please. I can’t do it unless I know it’s ok. Otherwise I would have done it already, a long time ago.”

Haru can’t remember the last time he blinked or breathed, and his heart is vibrating so fast it must be humming inside his chest. There’s a full-fledged hurricane raging inside of him, dangerous and turbulent, and he wants to scream over the noise and tell Makoto to just kiss him already, but he can’t speak the words. He manages to drop his chin, once and then twice—the best nod he can give. He starts to close his eyes just as Makoto leans forward to place their lips together.

And instantly, the storm inside of him comes to an end.

The clouds clear, making way for the sun. And it shines incredibly, giving light to every bit of love and adoration he feels for Makoto. It’s an overwhelming sensation, like he’s been holding his breath his entire life and is finally exhaling for the first time. But before he can thoroughly enjoy the kiss, Makoto pulls away.

Haru opens his eyes to see Makoto’s beautiful blushing face and can’t help but ask, “Is… is that it?” It comes out much ruder than he intends.

Makoto stutters in embarrassment, unable to form any real words, and covers his face with both of his hands before burying it in Haru’s chest. He lets out a muffled apology. Haru laughs all the tension out of his body and puts his hand in Makoto’s soft, fluffy hair.

“Don’t apologize. I just… wanted to kiss you longer, that’s all.” Haru supposes it’s fine to say embarrassing things now. He supposes they’re going to be saying a lot of embarrassing things to each other from this point on.

Makoto nuzzles against his chest and Haru swears he really is just like a big puppy, his imaginary tail starting to wag again. Makoto leans back from Haru’s chest and smiles, face still bright red, before leaning in for another kiss. Haru moves his hand down to the nape of Makoto’s neck, rubbing it gently with his thumb. Makoto finds his other hand, sliding his own fingers between Haru’s and sliding his tongue past Haru’s slightly parted lips.

They open their mouths just a little at first, then wider, their tongues meeting naturally between them, soft and slick and tasting of chocolate. Even if they hadn’t been indulging minutes before, Haru thinks Makoto would still taste just as sweet.

Haru lets Makoto take the lead, doing his best to match his movements and follow his pace. His heart beats so fast he thinks it must have stopped, like time itself has stopped around them, and he can’t contain his voice when Makoto puts his other hand on Haru’s waist and around his back, eliciting the smallest most involuntary moan from the back of Haru’s throat.

They allow their tongues to try and figure things out a little bit longer before separating their mouths, letting their foreheads rest against each other for a moment, breathing heavily. Makoto plants a light kiss on the side of Haru’s neck and leans forward into his chest again in total embarrassment.

Haru can’t contain his laughter; Makoto is so adorable and he feels ok thinking that. “Are you going to do that every time we kiss?” And then, because he wants to know how it feels to say it, “It’s adorable, you know.” He laughs softly and speaks in a whisper. “You’re adorable.”

Makoto blushes at Haru’s words and the thought that they will kiss again, of course they will. They can kiss each other any time they want to. And he thinks it’s going to be hard to stop himself from doing it all the time. He laughs along with Haru and wraps his arms around him.

Haru reaches forward to grab Makoto’s phone off the table. He holds it out in front of them and tells Makoto to turn around so they can take a picture together. Makoto is surprised, but he loves that idea so he doesn’t argue. He rests his head against Haru’s chest and keeps his arms wrapped around him while looking into the camera.

Haru snaps the photo and is in awe of how cute they look together, both of them quite obviously embarrassed but smiling, happy. Haru will have to remember to send himself that photo later. But first, he starts typing.

Makoto laughs, peeking over the screen. “What are you doing?”

He watches as Haru sends the picture to Kisumi, with a follow-up text.

He’s my Valentine, not yours.

He finds that same heart emoji Kisumi used and inserts it three times at the end of the sentence, just to mock him.

Makoto laughs even louder. “He’s going to send that to everyone, you know!”

Haru shrugs and leans back to lie on the floor, folding his hands over his stomach. “Good. It saves us the trouble of having to tell them ourselves.”

Makoto lies down on his side next to him, bending his arm to prop his head up on his hand. “That’s true. Do you think anyone will be surprised?”

“They’ll probably say things like, ‘Oh, it’s about time.’” And Haru smiles because he thinks the same. He’s a little irritated with himself for taking this long to finally confront his feelings, but there’s no point in being upset about the past. Whether they started years ago makes no difference now. He couldn’t be happier in this moment.

Makoto clears his throat. “You know what would be nice? If we could make cookies tomorrow.”

Haru sits up and turns back to glare at him. “I worked hard on that chocolate!”

“I know and I love it! But it really did smell like cookies when I walked in!” He laughs, watching Haru try to hold back a smile. “I can’t stop thinking about them.”

Haru resumes his position lying on his back next to Makoto and smiles. “Of course we can do that.”

Makoto places his hand over Haru’s, dropping his other arm so his head can fall right next to him. “It’s funny, isn’t it?” he asks.

“Hm?”

“After all these years, you’re still the one who’s closest to my heart, Haru-chan.”

Haru blushes and leans over to kiss Makoto’s forehead. He’s right; they’ve been connected to each other from the beginning, as far back as either of them can remember. The bond between them is unbreakable, and Haru knows that it will keep them together for the rest of their lives.

Just hours ago, Haru thought that today would be a day like any other day. But as it turns out, even a small catalyst can spark large consequences. He thinks he has found a new appreciation for the unexpected, and maybe it's all right not to have control over everything.

Makoto shifts onto his back, and Haru slides closer to move his head against his shoulder. Their hands find each other easily between them, fingers interlacing while they stare at the ceiling, taking a much needed moment to process the day's events. Haru allows his heart to gently overflow, warming his insides, as those familiar waves float over the both of them.

#free!#makoharu #omg i forgot how long this one is #for me anyway lol #my posts #valentine's day #kelly's makoharu fics

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rosywrites · 6 years

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Beyond the Depths, Chapter 4

Title: Beyond the Depths (Merman Jhin AU) Chapter 4: Surfacing Fandom: League of Legends Ship: Jhin x Sona

[AO3]

Word count: 5,588

Pencil tapping against a wooden clipboard sounded from the platform by the tank. A doctor hummed in thought as he went over the results. There was a silence between the group of people gathered by the merman. “Going over the results of your physical condition, you can perform complicated maneuvers without any pain or hesitation. We can release you back into the sea,” he said to the merman.

Sona, sitting at the bottom of the stairs leading to the platform, raised her head at the statement. She pursed her lips and sighed. The time has finally come. Jhin would be released within the next few days. She started listing the things they would need to send him back.

“If I may make a request…?” Jhin started.

“Oh, what would that be?”

“I…” Jhin’s eyes averted to Sona, who was too busy preparing in her head, and paused. “I would like to stay for a while longer.”

Sona’s eyes widened as her head perked up.

“Uh, I see,” the doctor said slowly. He glanced at Sona. “We will have to discuss that with Lady Buvelle first.”

“Let me know if my request can be granted then.” But he wasn’t talking to the doctor.

The doctor nervously tapped his pencil against his clipboard. “Lady Buvelle, I’m sure you’ve heard the merman’s request earlier. But what do you think of it?” He glanced back at the tank with a perplexed expression. “My knowledge on merpeople is limited, but he has no reason to remain in a tank any longer. So why?”

Sona furrowed her brows. She wasn’t sure either. Jhin shouldn’t have had any reason to stay. They both knew even he can’t be kept in such a small space forever. “I’ll try to ask him myself later. But I still plan to release him back to the sea soon.” She escorted the doctor out after some words of thanks and returned to the tank room.

As she approached the tank, Jhin swam over to the glass. “How did it go?”

“The usual, though the doctor is confused about your request.” She looked up at him. “I’m wondering, as well, why you asked if you can stay. It’s not like you plan to be domesticated to be some sort of pet.”

“First of all, it’s insulting that you would think I would choose to stay to be a source of entertainment,” he said in mock offense. “But that’s not the reason why.”

She raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

Jhin’s eyes seemed to soften. “Consider it as paying back a debt.” He sank lower towards Sona’s eye level. “You trying to help me with my compulsions and future… and I help you with your trauma, considering I am the source of it.”

Sona chuckled. “In other words, you regret it?”

“Hah, I wouldn’t say ‘regret’. Perhaps ‘pity’ is the right word.”

“Ugh, you sure know how to hit where it hurts most, don’t you?” Sona asked jokingly.

“I learned it from the best.” That earned him a pouting glare. “I have another request, actually.”

“What is it?”

“I remember you talking about the shores. Something about a private shore. I would feel much better if I am allowed to spend the rest of my time in the sea than in a tank. It would also be better for you to interact with the sea itself than something artificially made to feel like it.”

“That… is a rather big request,” she admitted.

“Not an easy one either.”

Sona gave it some thought. It would indeed be a very big move. The tank would have to be emptied, the entire household may have to put aside their tasks just to get him into the ocean, and there was that slim chance of him using this to escape or worse. She glanced at him, who remained where he was and stared at her patiently.

As if he read her mind, he asked, “Do you trust me?”

Her eyes perked up, searching for the sincerity in his question. But she didn’t need to. Her lips turned up into a genuine smile as she nodded. “I do.”

“Um, Lady Buvelle, is this safe?” Two maid struggled as they stepped down the stairs as they carried a stretcher with Jhin laid across it. Another pair of maids in the back called for the front to be careful so as not to drop him.

“I mean, this is how we transported him the first time, no?” Sona was helping them down the stairs while also assigning other tasks to the butlers and maids to take care of the tank.

“You do realize I was unconscious at the time. Not to mention, I feel ridiculous.”

“Do you have any other ideas we can transport you, then?”

“A small, merman-sized tank, perhaps?”

“.... Too heavy.”

“Excuse me?” Jhin croaked in offense.

“No talking, or you’ll run out of air,” she quickly dismissed smugly. Her smile widened when an annoyed growl sounded from his throat. “Once we release him into the ocean, please go back inside to help the others with the tank,” she instructed the maids.

“Will you be okay by yourself, my lady?” one of them asked, eyeing her knee-length dress. It was shorter than her usual long dress, so perhaps she planned to walk into the water.

“I’ll be fine.”

The maids slowly walked into the water with Sona in front. As soon as they reached hip-deep water, they set the stretcher down and let the merman float in the water. He slowly slipped out of the stretcher and dove headfirst into the sea.

Everyone paused, waiting for the merman to resurface. In minutes, his head poked out of the water a few feet away with a pleasant sigh.

“It feels good to be in the sea again,” he said.

Sona smiled and dismissed the maids to go help the others with the tank. She stayed where she was, watching Jhin swim around Buvelle shores and occasionally surfacing to see the sky. For a situation like this, she was almost glad that the Buvelle shores were a cove, almost surrounded by a wall of rock with only one passage that leads to a small dock on the right of the beach. If someone were to come by to deliver a package, at least Jhin would be able to hide easily.

Not that it would matter. They’d need permission to enter anyways.

Jhin swam over to Sona. “Worried?”

“A little. Just unsure if I might freeze up in the water again.”

“Hm, well, how are you feeling now?”

“It’s cold.”

He rolled his eyes with a smile. “It’s the sea. Of course, it’s cold. But with the weather being so warm, a human like you should adapt eventually.” He extended his hand out of the water. “Give it a try?”

After a deep breath, Sona took his hand and let him guide her deeper into the water. She gulped when the water rose up to her waist. So far, so good, just a little nervous. She could feel each step get deeper and plush faster now that the sand was sloping.

Then, they stopped.

“Sona?”

Sona realized she was shutting her eyes as they were walking in. Her eyes fluttered open, and there was Jhin. The water was now up to her shoulders, and each wave carried her off the ocean floor for a few seconds.

“I’m not going to panic. I promise.”

“If you don’t want to keep going, we can go back to the shore.”

“Thanks, but it won’t be necessary,” she reassured. She took another breath and allowed herself to float, letting her body surface and drift with the gentle waves. “It’s nice, being able to do something like this.”

Jhin stayed close to her, making sure she doesn’t drift too far from where they were.

“Where are you staying when it’s nighttime? Surely, you sleep too, don’t you?” Sona asked while she stayed afloat on the ocean waves, her eyes closed to focus on the movement of the sea. Jhin kept her from drifting too far by leaning against her body in the water. He kept his back turned to her as they continued conversation.

“Yes, but it’s just like almost any predatory fish out there. Part of me is still awake so that I don’t go into unknown territory or drift too far. I stay closer to the rocks since it’s a cove.”

“Hmm,” she hummed in satisfaction at his answer. She opened her eyes and looked over at Jhin, who stared at the sky. She positioned herself so that she now floated upright in the water. She looked at the back of Jhin’s head, his flesh-colored mask with a dark, dull purple coloration framing his face. In curiosity, she smacked her hand on top of his head. It felt weirdly slimy, unlike how it looked.

Jhin flinched, wheeling around to see Sona’s surprised and amused face. “What was that for?”

“Sorry, I… had this urge to feel it,” she said with slight shame in her tone. “You mentioned that it was a mask, right?”

He stayed silent for a moment. “It’s a mask I used for, well, killing and… a bit for myself. I loathed how I looked, so I tried to use the mask to look more suitable to who I was. But even then…” he paused, “I would hate it.”

Sona swam closer to Jhin, placing her hand on his cheek under his eyes. His blue eyes stood out from the mask, and upon closer inspection, there was a space between his eyes and the eyeholes of the mask. She traced the purple coloration of his mask down to the slits of the mouth.

“Can I see?”

His eyes looked into hers, and she could see the concern swirling in the blue. She was about to reassure that he doesn’t have to, but he held out his claw. “I don’t see the harm in doing so.” He dug his thumb under the lining of his mask and pulled up, slowly revealing his true skin underneath. Wet, black hair spilled out and clung to his face as he completely pulled the mask off his head.

His face was like any other human’s. He had no features that resembled a monster like his mask did. He looked like… a normal human. She reached out to touch his skin, her fingertips just barely brushing against his cheekbones. Her fingers traced the dark purple scales that framed his face. They felt smooth, almost like leather, but she could each individual line and texture in another direction. He even had ears that resembled small fins, unlike human ears.

“Not what you expected, is it?” he asked.

Sona shook her head with a smile. “Not really. But I think you look perfectly fine as you are.”

“Would you like to try submerging again today? You did well last time.” Jhin extended his claws out to Sona once they reached the deeper end of the cove.

“Are you sure? This is a little deeper than before…” she said worriedly. Last time, Sona had tried to hold her breath underwater when she could barely stand on the tips of her toes. But this time, she was floating about three feet above the slope. Plenty of distance away that she couldn’t reach and ground herself with her toes.

Jhin smiled reassuringly. “Remember I’ll be with you. I’ll go underwater with you on the count of three?” he suggested.

Sona gulped, but she nodded. She placed her hands in his claws and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready.” On three, the two submerged. With her eyes closed, she couldn’t anything other than the water and Jhin’s claws gently wrapping around hers. Seconds passed, and she tried to squint her eyes open.

It was blurry underwater, and the water stung her eyes, of course. But in the blue, she could make out Jhin’s figure in the water. He was staring up at her from below to help her sink deeper into the water. Without his mask, she could almost see the encouragement in his face. His black and gray scales shimmered purple in the light, his golden tail even brighter. But the brightest of all were his eyes. It almost seemed to glow even in the midst of all this blue. The same eyes she saw in the distance that night in the ship.

Having forgotten how long she was holding her breath, she released a stream of bubbles from the lack of air. She kicked her legs to swim up, but there was no ground to get a boost. She felt Jhin's claws release her hands, grab her by the torso, and take her back up to the surface.

“Humans can be rather unpredictable,” he said. “I think this is your longest record of holding your breath underwater without being overtaken by your fear.”

Sona laughed when she realized: “I didn't even have the time to think about it.”

Recently, Jhin had stopped wearing his mask altogether since a few days ago. Though he had trouble maintaining eye contact and would wear his mask again for a while, he began feeling a little more confident in showing his face to Sona. Had it been anyone else, he’d feel less inclined to show it.

He explored the bottom of the cove, not hesitating to swipe a fish for food if one was nearby. Shells, sea stars, fish, and many other colorful creatures littered the floor. He never frequented the bottom of the ocean near the shores in his current age, nor did he like diving too far into the dark depths either. That was where the more frightening monsters lie, and where merpeople go to lose their sanity forever.

“Hm?”

He spotted small schools of fish swimming around a fissure in the cove, several different fish even going in and out of it. He swam towards it in curiosity without mind of the fish that evaded his presence. The fissure went quite deep inside and tall enough for anyone his size to swim through.

“How peculiar.”

Later that afternoon, Sona went for a swim, despite Jhin’s absence today. She felt more and more comfortable swimming in the sea by herself now, though it was more enjoyable having someone else accompany her. The waves looked calmer than usual, so perhaps she could take it easy for today.

She swam off the sandy slope and headed towards the deeper side of the water. There was no sign of Jhin swimming around or underwater. Perhaps he went off to explore farther out the cove, though she hoped he would stay away from any peering eyes.

Drifting along with the waves, Sona reached out to the sky as if she could touch the clouds peeking out of the space between the cliffs.

Then, she heard the familiar sound of something moving in the water. She looked to her right to see Jhin watching her from nearby. Suddenly self-conscious, she scrambled upright in the water, her ears red and hot. “How long were you watching?”

Jhin’s head perked up, averting his gaze to the side. “Sorry, you just seemed really peaceful. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

She covered her ears to cool them down as she asked, “D-did you need anything?”

“Actually,” he started, swimming over to Sona, “there was something interesting I found inside the rocks: a cave. You can only get in through a fissure underwater though.”

Sona nodded slowly. “Is it possible for me to swim into it?”

He shook his head. “It’s too deep below for you to swim to it by yourself. The only you can get in…” he paused mid-sentence in hesitance, “... is if I take you there.” He watched her think, taking her fear and trauma into account. “I understand if you don’t—”

“If you’re okay with it, then you can take me there.” She smiled. “Besides, I think I’m doing well with handling my fear now.”

“In that case,” Jhin said as he extended his arm out to her. “Shall we get going?”

With a nod, she let Jhin wrap his arm around her waist and take her under. She held her breath as she felt the current rush past her. The water pressure gradually increased as they went deeper underwater, and the sounds of movement became muffled.

And for a moment, she thought she could hear voices calling out to her in the water.

Sona. Sona.

Help us, Sona.

Sona. Save us.

Sona. Sona.

No.

They were simply phantoms. Just remnants of the fear she worked to overcome.

She wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t going to panic. Wanting to prove it to herself, she opened her eyes despite the salty seawater stinging them.

There was no darkness. There was light. Bits of blue and sea green lights lit the water like clusters of stars in the night sky. The lights swirled with the force of their surfacing bodies, just like the gentle brush strokes of a painting.

Beautiful , she thought until she finally surfaced for breath. She took a few breaths to reorient herself in this new environment. The cave was bright with blue light, and she wondered if the cave had openings to the outside. She couldn’t see properly from the seawater blurring her vision.

Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cave, she saw that it wasn’t sunlight lighting the cave or the water. Bioluminescent plankton and algae glowed like beautiful stars of blue and green within the water. Her every movement made them twinkle. At the far end of the cave, sunlight shone through holes in the rocky ceiling.

“Are you alright?” Jhin’s voice sounded from beside her. “Can you breathe properly?”

Turning to Jhin, Sona saw his face underlit by the light, the blues of his eyes almost glowing. She could see the subtle features of his face that she wouldn’t see in broad daylight. She huffed in laughter. “Yes, I’m fine. This is such a gorgeous cave, though. Just how did you find this?”

Jhin guided her to the rocky floor, where she pushed herself up onto the ground and sat on the edge. He looked up at her smiling face lit by the glowing water. He could almost see little bits of sea green in her eyes as they gazed across the water. Blues and greens suit her , he thought. “I was exploring the cove, and I happened to see a fissure in the rocks that fish were coming out of. I figured I could take a look inside.”

“Well, I never knew about this little hidden spot. It’s almost like a cave full of treasure.” She narrowed her eyes at the ceiling and spotted minuscule pieces of glowing rocks embedded in each pillar and crack of the cave. She felt at peace here, with no one and nothing to bother her. “Hey.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Can we come here again? Tomorrow?”

He chuckled at the captivation in her smile. “Whenever you’d like.”

Sona usually brought a towel with her to the cave to give herself a cushion when she sat by the rocks. She spent most of her day in the cave to have some peace and quiet, though they’d sometimes be outside for a change of pace.

Today was just another long day of paperwork, scheduling, and giving two Demacian nobles an audience only to see the disappointment in their eyes upon seeing Jhin’s absence in the tank room. At this time, she was glad she made the decision to show the Crownguards. And now word would spread that she no longer had a merman in her manor, and no one would dig into the situation any deeper.

It’s just what she wanted.

“I heard you speaking with those nobles by the balcony before you came here.”

“You could hear them?” she asked in disbelief.

“They were rather loud. I could hear bits and pieces of their conversation while you were gone too.” He sighed in slight annoyance. “I suppose it was a good thing to confirm my existence so you wouldn’t come off as a liar.” His brows furrowed in irritation. “They were saying something about that.”

Sona tilted her head. “Did they really call me a liar?”

Jhin pursed his lips. “Not exactly… Something along the lines of “she must not have been lying about the merman” or something of that sort.” His eyelids lowered as his brows furrowed further. “Despicable that they would dare imply that.”

She smiled, a little grateful that he was angry for her. “Thank you, Jhin. I appreciate the sentiment.” She saw his eyes dart to her before averting their gaze immediately. Suddenly, she remembered something back when she talked to Jhin for the first time. “Say, I just realized that you could understand Demacian. I thought you could only speak Ionian.”

Jhin thought for a moment. “Show me your hand.” He gingerly took Sona’s extended hand in his and stared as if examining it. His claw touched the dips between her fingers. “Haven’t you ever wondered why humans can swim as well as they can? Why they look a little webbed?”

Sona didn’t say a word, waiting for him to continue.

“There are myths among my people. Stories of merpeople who turned to humans and moved on to live on the land. Their tails, which they once used to swim, became two legs able to walk on the earth. They wanted to become humans for different reasons: curiosity, wanderlust, elopement, rarely vengeance, or,” he paused as he traced his thumb across her palm, “to be with a loved one who was human.”

Her hand fit snugly in his like a puzzle piece. He could feel the calluses and her tough skin from plucking her etwahl. Upon closer look, he could still see scars at the tips of her fingers from the ship. Something within him stirred painfully.

“It’s believed that humans evolved from merpeople. It’s why they have slightly webbed hands.” He wrapped his fingers around the tips of her fingers. “It’s why we can understand your languages, because they were derived from our people by our people. Of course, after centuries and centuries, those languages slowly became their own. But their roots haven’t changed.”

He inaudibly gasped when he realized he almost brought her hand to his face. Distancing himself away, he averted his gaze back to her. She was staring at him with wide eyes, her face brimming with interest and curiosity.

In that moment, he started to wonder…

Just when did he fall so deep?

“I’ve been thinking…” Jhin trailed off as he relaxed his head into his folded arms on the ground.

“About?”

“About how many of these kinds of hidden caves exist out there all over the world. Each of them made out of their own special materials. The journey of chasing and discovering treasures that humans generally can’t get to. It sounds fascinating.”

Sona put a finger to her lips in thought. “That would take a long time, wouldn’t it? I mean, you just got lucky that there happens to be a glowing cave right by my manor.”

“That’s why it makes the journey all the more worth it, no?”

She laughed with a nod. “Yes, it makes sense.” She then frowned again. “Do you plan to just take a look and go back to the surface, just like that? Though, then again, there’s nothing you can use to record something that can last underwater.”

“I was thinking of taking a sample of my discoveries to remind me of where I’ve been.” His tail slightly splashed the water when he thought of something. “Hm, maybe create a map of where I’ve been and record my discoveries on it. I’d have to hide them somewhere no one can find while I’m searching.”

“Oh! That sounds like a nice idea.” She grinned as her hand waded across the water. “Maybe you can take me to one of your discoveries someday, given I’ll survive the dive.” Jhin didn’t respond. How odd that he didn’t even reply sarcastically.

His arms hid most of his face, but Jhin’s eyes softened at the thought. Taking her to one of his discoveries, huh? He closed his eyes and smiled against his skin, thinking how wonderful that would be. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s nothing. I was imagining nonsensical things.”

Sona tilted her head, pouting at the answer. Her expression then changed in annoyance. “Ah! You better not have been thinking of me trying to swim after you”

The imagery made Jhin stop and burst into laughter. “I wasn’t, but what an interesting thought!”

Sona’s jaw dropped in offense and crossed her arms. “Ugh, you bastard…”

Jhin continued to chuckle as he shifted his arms to lean his head against one. He gazed at the irritated maven with a loving smile. Her lips puckered into a small pout then pursed into a thin line. When she returned his gaze, he immediately averted his eyes to the pillars of glowing rocks.

She didn’t have to know. It would be better that way.

The water was calm and serene. Sona could feel herself sinking deeper and deeper into the depths. On instinct, she opened her eyes to see how far she was from the surface. Bubbles rose for what felt like forever. But she felt no fear. Only peace.

She didn’t want to swim back up to the surface. Being embraced by the sea was almost comforting now.

Just as she closed her eyes, she felt blades of kelp reach out from the dark and wrap around her torso. However, it didn’t do anything to sink her any faster or further. They simply kept themselves wrapped around her like a blanket.

No, not like a blanket. They felt like… a pair of arms. A familiar pair of arms. The feeling grew more and more warm and comforting when she caressed the claws that gently pressed around her waist. She wanted to stay like this for a while.

But then the feeling disappeared like sea foam, and Sona found herself in the water of the cave. All around her were lights of blue and green, but nothing was blurry. Everything was clear. The lights danced before her eyes.

She then saw the same familiar shadow swim through the water above her. It passed her once, twice. Then it descended below towards Sona with the arms extended out. In response, she reached out with her own to let them take her into a warm embrace.

“Ha…” Sona gasped as her eyes snapped open to the top of her canopy. It was a dream. She pulled her covers over her head and curled up inside. She cupped her face, which became red and hot in wake of her dream. Her mind and heartbeat raced as she realized…

She had fallen too deep.

“I found one!” Sona exclaimed as she burst out of the water with a shell in her hand. It had a slight pink hue and an iridescent sheen. However, it had already cracked and chipped off in several places that it wouldn’t be useful to contain any life. She swam towards Jhin while preoccupied with pulling off round goggles away from her eyes.

“Oh good, I found an interesting stone as well.”

Jhin held out a pouch for Sona to deposit the shell. Inside were pieces of sea-weathered glass, shells, pebbles, and even fish scales they collected from the ocean floor. He watched her eyes gloss over the pouch contents with satisfaction. He was sure that if Sona could have had a voice, she would’ve been humming a happy tune.

“So, hm, why did you want to collect things today?” he asked.

“Well, I…” Sona trailed off as if deciding how to word her answer. “Let’s just say I’ve taken an interest in crafting something.”

Jhin hummed in curiosity. “Something to use for your next concert?”

Sona smiled as she pressed the bag closer to her. “That’s a secret.”

“You, a noblewoman of Demacia? Keeping secrets? Scandalous.” He even gasped for dramatic effect. His comment was met with a splash of water. He chuckled at her smug face.

That night, Sona dumped the contents of the pouch next to jewelry tools on her desk. There were bits and pieces of pink, green, blue, and purple among the collection. She sorted out the pieces that she wanted to use and didn’t need to use and got to work.

This was certainly going to take her days to finish, given her crafting skills weren’t the best. But she didn’t mind.

By the time she went to sleep, her fingers were covered in scratches and bandages. She took note of the pieces that broke and need a replacement. She should try to find them again in the morning.

Sona winced when her fingers stung in the water. There were cuts all over them after all, of course it would hurt. But she needed to find replacements for the pieces that broke into an unusable state. Surely the pain will dull the longer she stayed in the water.

“Just what are you doing that your hand is in such a state?” Jhin took her hand and examined it closely. “You have cuts everywhere.”

“I’m fine, Jhin. This is the result of what I’m trying to make.”

Jhin couldn’t help but smile grimacingly. “You’re not very good at crafting, are you?”

“Rude. I did say I took an interest to it. That doesn’t mean I will be the best at it in one night.” She huffed and put her goggles on her eyes and dove into the water. Her pouch stayed tied around her waist, made sure to remain closed while she was searching.

This time, Jhin joined her below and swam beside her while she was looking around. Of course, if she became desperate for breath, he’d immediately take her back up to let her catch her breath before going back down. He wanted to ask what she was making that she was so diligent in her searching, but he knew the answer.

Sona reached for a shell that stuck out of the sand and wrapped her hands around it to pull it out. She felt a painful sting in her hand and jerked it back. Swimming back up to the surface, she caught her breath while sucking on the fresh cuts from the shell. The pain sent her into a fit of Demacian and Ionian curses that Jhin laughed at.

“That’s not very graceful of you.”

“It nearly tore my hand open. I deserve to curse as loud as I want.”

“Well, on that note, I did happen to pick up that same shell as you swam back up.” He held it up for her in the light. “Though, I’m not sure if you want the very shell that has slighted you,” he said dramatically.

“Haha, very funny.” Despite the stinging pain, Sona reached for the pouch and pulled it out of the water for Jhin to put the shell in. “It’s a beautiful shell. I’m glad I found it. Now I need to find something for the centerpiece.”

“Hm, what about this one?” Jhin opened his claws to reveal several other pieces he picked up in that short time period. His nails sorted through the piece to isolate a green stone among them. It shined like the ocean itself was contained inside.

“Wow…” She picked up the stone and held it up in the light. The stone seemed to dance like the waves in the sea. “It’s exactly what I needed.”

Strands of her bangs stuck to her face messily despite her having combed her hair back when she came out of the water. The stone reflected its colors into her own sea-colored eyes, almost looking full of life. Her rosy lips curled into an excited smile and then pulled back into a grin when she placed it into the pouch. She noticed Jhin staring at her and felt her ears turn a little hot. “Is something wrong?”

Would it be okay, he wondered. “Nothing, it’s just…” He brushed aside the strands of hair that stuck dangerously close under her eye and tucked it behind her red ears.

Their eyes met. Jhin’s claw lingered on Sona’s cheek. How he wanted to caress her cheek, to trace his finger around her eyes down to her soft lips. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He didn’t want to impose on her any more than he had already. He felt a pang of fear, just a little afraid that she would push him away.

His touch felt inviting. She almost wished his hand would stay where it was, just so she can bring up her own hand and hold it against her skin. But she couldn’t bring herself to. She couldn’t bear the thought of scaring him away when they’ve become so close. She didn’t want him to push her away.

Jhin lifted his hand and hesitantly submerged it underwater. “There we go. Your hair was, was close to your eye.”

Sona felt herself shrinking in embarrassment—especially after that dream—as she tucked strands behind her other ear. “I, um, thank you.”

The two fell silent, averting their gaze from each other and finding anything else to set their eyes on instead. An awkward silence passed. It felt heavy, weighing on their already-heavy hearts filled with the feeling of wanting to hold the other in their arms.

#league of legends #jhin x sona #jhinsona #jhin #sona #rosywrites #beyond the depths

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kristyana · 4 years

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Untethered

My first attempt of a fanfic EVER.

Chapter 1/?

No matter how many times they've traveled around Eos in the past years, it always amazes them of how much the land is making progress on healing after 5 years of darkness and daemon infestations. They were progressing by leaps and bounds and so far the results are astounding.

Kirsi smiled as she spotted children running and playing through the streets of Lestallum, the adults walking to and fro without fear, the abundance of food in every stall and establishment, the sight of power plant workers taking breaks instead of tirelessly working around the meteor to provide much needed light, and of course the lack of walls that used to enclose Lestallum to keep the daemons at bay.

And to think that it was once humanity's one of few remaining strongholds during those long nights a mere five years ago.

"So what's our new agenda?" Lily mumbled through a mouthful of fries. The four of them were seated at a café just outside of the Leville where they were staying for the night.

Liivi hummed as he took a sip of his soda before leaning against his seat. "The outlying lands appear to be clean. My teams have been sent out to continuously patrol, of course."

"What of the undergrounds?" Kirsi questioned, fiddling the top of her own soda can.

"Already on it. My teams are scouring every nook and cranny." Lionel piped in, occupied on devouring the crêpes he ordered.

"Are your teams checking the seas?" Liivi turned to Kirsi.

"Yeah, I've also sent Jor seeing as he can track a scent in the water better than anyone else."

Lily hummed a playful sound, grinning at Kirsi like a cat who got the cream. "Guess this means the four nations are the only ones left unchecked, huh?“

"Uh huh." Liivi agreed nonchalantly but wasn't even attempting to fight off the grin appearing on his face. He laid down a huge map depicting the whole continent; the regions of the four nations were encircled in red while their capitals were dotted.

Kirsi huffed at her cousins. "I'll take Accordo."

"Nuh uh. No way, cuz. You'll be going to the big apple."

"If you haven't forgotten, Accordo is completely surrounded by water which makes me the perfect candidate to go scout there."

"Yes, but you're not the one who was born in Accordo, I was, which gives me more intimate knowledge of the place." Lily stuck out her tongue at her cousin who merely glowered at her. "And I think it's about time you visited ol' Prince Charming in Insomnia. Don't you think?" she added innocently, her hands underneath her chin and head tilted.

Kirsi merely gave her the finger.

"Then I guess this means I'll be heading to Niflhiem and Lionel to Tenebrae." Liivi ticked off something on his notedpad he pulled from his bag. "We leave first thing in the morning."

And they did just that.

Just as the sun rose, the four made their way to the market to stock up on supplies and to ask the local vendors if they knew any means of transportation to Tenebrae and Lucis.

Several vendors pointed them towards a supplier who was responsible of managing the deliveries being made between the regions of Lucis and Tenebrae. "Lucky for you, kids, 'cause a few of our delivery trucks are headed there right now. If you want you can hitch a ride at the back."

Liivi smiled at the kind burly man. "We promise to pay you for allowing us to tag along."

"Oh nonsense! You're not the first people we've hitchhiked. Ever since the return of the sun, people scattered all over the continent came flocking back to Lucis to see the King and help with the rebuilding. Not only that but by some divine blessing all the people who'd died during those 5 years of long nights came back! I don't know how he did it but I never would have thought I'd see my wife again." The man got teary-eyed at that. "Delivering supplies is the least I can do to help with the rebuilding effort."

Liivi and the others subtly glanced at each other. "We'd also like to help with the restoration but we're more excited of going back to our homeland." He said with a smile.

"As you should." The burly man patted him at the back before coaxing the four to the trucks.

The two girls squeezed into the passenger seat of the truck headed towards Lucis before turning to the two boys.

"You guys better keep in touch. And remember to give a weekly update." The reminded the eldest.

Lily rolled her eyes at her older brother but gave him a half hug, same with her younger brother.

Kirsi made to wave goodbye at them seeing as she was sitting in the inner sit when Lionel threw a familiar black packet at her. It rattled as she caught it and just the sound triggered a burning sensation in her throat.

Lionel raised a brow at her. "I brought extras. Something tells me you're gonna need it."

Kirsi stared at the black box in her hand. It wasn't noteworthy, just a simple black rectangular box that could fit in her hand, but its contents is probably the most important thing she's had to carry during these survey missions they've been doing for the past 5 years.

Feeling the truck move, Kirsi pocketed the box and sent a smile and wave at her two cousins just as the truck moved to the main road and then they were heading for Lucis.

It was around noon when they reached Galdin Quay where they dropped off Lily. The sound of waves crashing against the sand and the smell of the sea stirred a longing inside Kirsi, she felt a little jealous of Lily. Altissia was one of her favorite places she and the Princess would often go to. Although after what happened during the Hydraean covenant may have destroyed the once beautiful city, her affection for the capital still remained.

Lily scrambled for her bag and jumped out of the truck. "Good luck in Lucis, cousin. You're gonna need it." She threw a cheeky wink at her glaring cousin and dodged a swipe at her head before running towards the resort.

"Musta been a big family, huh? I mean Tenebrae, Lucis AND Accordo?" Commented the truck driver as they continued the drive towards Lucis.

Kirsi shrugged but stayed quiet, letting her music player blast at full volume through her earphones and simply watch the scenery pass by.

A few hours later, they'd reached Hammerhead where the head driver decided to take a short break seeing as they were nearly to Lucis.

Kirsi stretched on her seat, shaking away the stiffness of her limbs when she heard several familiar voices. She took a glance at the side mirror and saw Cindy and Cid coming out of the garage, laughing and talking to someone still in the garage. Kirsi adjusted in her position so she could peek out the window, making sure only a portion of her head was jutting out, to see who they were talking to when the person fully stepped out.

Kirsi let out a squeak and ducked to hide.

She'd know that hairstyle anywhere, and with that blonde hair, it was no brainer who it was but hearing his bubbly laugh only confirmed it.

Prompto was here in Hammerhead.

Kirsi took several deep breaths to calm herself, it was way too early in the game for her to be discovered. She glanced at the side mirror.

Prompto was still talking to Cindy and Cid but it looked like they were about to finish. Prompto then hugged the two and mounted the motorcycle bike he'd dragged out of the garage and rode off.

Kirsi ducked again as Prompto rode by the truck. She stared at his form speeding away till he was just a speck on the horizon before letting out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

The head driver came back with a bag of fries and a burger for her. If he saw her nervous expression he didn't comment, simply started the truck and drove off.

The faint sound of waves woke Kirsi from her light nap, which tells her they were nearing the land bridge that connects Lucis from the rest of the continent. And surely enough, when she gazed forward she could see the vast outline of the walls that surrounds Lucis in the distance.

Seeing her home after 5 years brought about a strong surge of homesickness. She couldn't stop the flood of fond memories she had living in the capital with the Royal family. The Princess' strong but gentle presence, King Regis' moments of fatherly affections, the Prince's fishing and arcade excursions, Prompto's camera flashes, Ignis' cooking and mother henning, Gladiolus' manhandling and the Kingsglaive's unprofessional antics. The flashbacks seem to spur on the constricting sensation in her chest that she couldn't stop the muffled the sob that escaped her lips; she closed her eyes to will away the stinging.

"It's good to be home, huh, kid?" The driver softly remarked.

The young woman shakily breathed in, wiping away the tears before nodding through an exhale. "It's been awhile since I came here. I would have visited sooner but I had other things to focus on."

The driver merely chuckled. "You don't have to explain yourself, kid. We've all been there."

They drove through a curve in the road when something in the sky towering over Lucis caught her eye, and then she remembered her objective. Taller than the city's tallest skyscraper, probably taller than the mountains she's encountered, stood the Guardian Tree, sturdy and strong, with its lush emerald green canopy probably covering over half the diameter of Lucis.

"That's new." Kirsi said in a conversational tone while subtly scanning the area for any potential dangers lurking around them. Her mission here was to survey the land after all.

"Yeah, no one knows what actually happened but apparently after His Majesty, King Noctis, had defeated that Chancellor dude and brought back the dawn, that tree just sprouted out of nowhere at the dead center of the kingdom. The King and Lady Lunafreya's been trying to commune with the Astrals about it but so far not one of them's been responding."

Kirsi couldn't help grinning at that. First and foremost, is that Noctis and Luna appeared to be alive and doing well. And second, is that the Astrals aren't responding, meaning they must've taken the hint.

They were right outside the main gates, and Kirsi was gettig antsy in her seat. The Crownsguards, judging by their uniforms, at the checkpoint had to do an overall inspection of their caravan before they could pass.

"What's your business here, ma'am?" Asked one female Crownsguard at her.

"Just coming home after a long trip." Kirsi replied before showing the Crownsguard her choker, and most importantly the pendant.

The female Crownsguard squinted at her neck before her eyes widened in recognition. "T-thats—! M-ma'am! Welcome home!" She fumbled into a salute.

"At ease, soldier." She chuckled as she zipped up the jacket she was wearing to hide her choker again.

"It's clean!" Someone shouted behind them.

Kirsi looked to the gaping woman in front of her before placing a finger to her lips. "If you wouldn't mind, could you not tell anyone I'm here. Especially your higher ups." At the uncomfortable look on the woman's face, Kirsi added, "My cousins and I got a bet going on and I plan to win."

The woman was silent for a moment before nodding. She gave her a faint thank you as the truck moved on.

Kirsi looked to the city in front of her and whispered, "I'm home."

#ffxv fic #i don't know what tags to use #my very first attempt of an fic #ffxv #ffxv oc

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