#who do I love pairing a silver haired mads with who loves guns and violence?

[slashyrogue]

Me: *finally watches Riders of Justice & opens ao3 hoping to find at least one of two HEU pairings I’ve already created in my head for Markus & finds not even one*

[croatian-nt]

Mafia au-Part five

Summary: When an unassuming artist saves a man’s life at the shooting at the gallery, he ends up in the midde of the war between two mafias and as he gets dragged deeper into the whole thing, he soon learns the line between the sides and right and wrong blur more than he expected.

Pairings: Livi/Bruno

Word Count: 3417

Warnings: mentions of blood, fighting, threats of violence and torture, mentions of broken bones

Notes: I apologize for the longer wait for this part, last week has been a bit hectic and this chapter was supposed to be from Suba’s pov but I legit scrapped it bc this made more sense so. Yeah. Here it is at last. As always, thank you @lovren-la-vida-luka for editing this, you are a life saver. To everyone else, enjoy :)

Livi

 Livi was pacing. He was well aware that Bruno was getting more agitated by the second, but he couldn't help it. It helped him think. And there was one question that kept bothering him.

 How did Josip know there would be a shooting at the gallery? 

 Josip was only a byki, and he wouldn't know if someone from high up ordered an assassin. Unless, it wasn't an assassin, and someone from the mafia decided to do the job themselves, which either meant it was personal, or they didn't want anyone to find out. Or both. 

 Livi shivered, despite the fact that he wasn't cold. He could only imagine this kill being personal for one person. Suba.

 He closed his eyes and pulled on his hair, hoping the pain will make him concentrate. 

 Why would he want to kill Luka, after all this time? What could have Luka possible have done that- suddenly that train of thought ground to a halt and Livi froze with it, stopping his pacing. 

 He started training Livi. Throwing knives, catching them. Making Livi show him how Lovre and Suba taught him to fight. He was training him to fight them. 

 And Livi talked about it to Josip. 

 Livi leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling sick. Luka was using him, preparing him to take out people he used to call his family. And Josip... Josip might have reported everything he said to Suba. 

 Livi was certain his legs were going to give out under him.

 "Livi? Livi!" Bruno's voice and his hand on his shoulder got him out of his frozen state. 

 He turned around, but just enough to hug Bruno and bury his face in his neck. He willed himself to concentrate on Bruno's heartbeat, to let it calm him down, but he couldn't stop his thoughts from spiraling. 

 If Suba planned this,and Josip knew he wanted Luka dead, why send him a message? Was it regret or...

 They didn't know about Bruno. They didn't know Bruno would convince him to call Šime. So what did they know? 

 Livi closed his eyes, trying to see himself through his best friend's eyes. What would he expect him to do? What would Livi do, two years ago?

 He would go alone. And arrive just in time to be killed as well. 

 This time his legs did give out and he clung desperately to Bruno not to fall. Bruno caught him, carefully carrying him to the couch, and then lifted his chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes.

 "Please tell me what's going on, Dominik. You are scaring me."

 Damn. Livi knew it was serious when his boyfriend used his full name, but as much as he wanted to share everything with him, he didn't even know where to begin. And should he even tell him? What if Bruno gets killed as well, just because Livi got him involved in all this?

 "Don't do that."

 Livi snapped his gaze back to Bruno, raising his eyebrows. He still wasn't sure if he could speak without his voice betraying him.

 "Don't shut me out and deal with whatever is going through your head alone. And before you say it, I don't care if you think it's better for me that way - that's not your decision to make. I am your boyfriend, please let me in. Let me help you."

 And Livi told him everything. He didn't plan to, but when he started talking, it all just poured out of him, and as he talked he realized how many secrets he was actually carrying. 

 He told Bruno why he really defected, how the only other people who knew that were Luka, Dalić and Josip. How he and Josip stayed in touch. How he suspected Luka had ulterior motives for training him. And how he thinks Suba wanted Luka dead because of that.

 The silence rang loudly in Livi's ears after he finished his speech. He was too scared to look at Bruno, but the longer the silence stretched, the more his anxiety grew. 

 "So what do you plan to do?" 

 Of all the questions Livi was anticipating, that was not one of them.

 "What? After all that, that's the only thing you are going to ask?"

 Bruno shrugged, and squeezed Livi's fidgeting hands between his.

 "That's the only one that matters right now. I mean, I'm not going to lie, this is a lot to take in. But I trust you, especially after you trusted me with all of this. But, from what you told me, we can't really trust anyone else, and we need to act quickly. So... what do you plan to do?"

 Livi chewed on his bottom lip, thinking. He grabbed his phone - the one he used to talk to Josip. But he didn't dial the number or start typing a message. He just stared at it for what seemed like an eternity. 

 Bruno stood up, letting go off Livi's hands. Livi already felt cold.

 "If you'd prefer me to leave so you can talk to him..."

 "No!" Livi shouted, startling both of them. 

 Bruno stared at him, willing him to tell him what he decided. What he wanted. Whose side he was choosing. Livi was so tired of choosing.

 "I am just..." Livi sighed, ruffling his hair. “I am so tired of choosing." 

 Unable to bear the sight of the screen any longer, Livi threw the phone. It fell to the floor with a loud thud, followed by a silence that stretched for a long, long moment as he stared at it.

 And then Bruno walked over and gently took Livi's hand in his, rubbing soothing circles in his palm.

 "Then don't. Just choose this… choose us. There is no right or wrong here anymore. We both know better than that."

 Livi turned his head to the side, trying to make sure that he got what Bruno was saying.

 "What do you mean?"

 "I mean... we could disappear. We need two days max, just to pack everything and leave. We’ll figure out where we’re going on the way, and I can easily get us everything we need."

 Livi met Bruno's fierce, unwavering gaze. Livi saw Bruno as his anchor, but he sometimes forgot he could be a storm as well. 

 "But your sister..."

 Bruno smiled, shaking his head.

 "It would be better for her to get away from this city as well. Somewhere safe. Somewhere where there are no sides to pick." 

 Livi could see that life, so perfectly clearly in front of his eyes. A life that he wanted so badly growing up. And Bruno was offering him all that on a silver plate. And yet...

 Livi squeezed Bruno's hand tighter.

 "I want that, I swear I do. This isn't a no. Just a not yet."

 Bruno nodded, but Livi could see his face fall slightly. To anyone else, the change in expression would have been undetectable, but Livi knew each feature of this man’s face like the back of his hand, and the almost imperceptible droop of his eyes and mouth sent a pang of guilt through Livi’s chest. He closed the distance between them and kissed Bruno slowly, trying to put all of his love and gratitude into that kiss. Once they parted, Livi pressed their foreheads together, looking intensely into Bruno’s eyes.

 "I just need to know first. I need to know if my best friend lied to me all this time. And I need to know if my dad-" Livi realized his mistake, and quickly tried to swallow a lump in his throat, "if Suba ordered a hit on me. I need to know, before I move on. Or I will carry my past wherever we go." 

 It was Bruno who kissed him this time. Livi pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He wanted to have this moment frozen in time and keep it forever. He wanted to forget about right and wrong, about choices, about a murky past and uncertain future and everything inbetween. Just for one perfect moment.

 Neither of them said anything for a moment after they parted. Bruno gently stroked Livi's cheek with his thumb and then pressed one more quick kiss against his lips. 

 “So for the third damn time,” Bruno said with a hint of a smile, “what's the plan?"

 Livi grabbed the phone from the floor and took a deep breath. 

 "First, we find out what's really going on. One way or another."

 ***

 Livi tried not to think about all the things that could go wrong. If Josip suspected anything and didn’t arrive alone, the whole plan would fall to pieces.

 He looked around the apartment while he waited. It looked almost the same as it did when he left it two years ago, just emptier and with dust heavily settled over everything. The comfortable brown couch stood in the same place, and while some of the furniture was turned over, probably in search for clues after his disappearance, it still looked too similar to how he left it for his liking.

 The front doors opened with a soft click and Livi froze in his hiding spot, tensely waiting. Josip entered the room and Livi held his breath for a heartbeat, and then another. Nobody came in after him. Livi exhaled.

 And then he grabbed his gun, and ignoring the guilt churning in his stomach, pointed it at Josip, stepping into the room. 

 "Don't move," Livi said, making Josip spin around to face him.

 He eyed the gun in Livi's steady hands, and Livi could practically feel him calculating the distance between them and how fast he could disarm him. Too bad Livi counted on that.

 "Don't bother. We both know I can shoot much faster than you can move, and I don't think you want a bullet wound."

 Josip pressed his lips into a thin line, slowly raising his arms in surrender. 

 "What the fuck are you doing, Dominik?"

 Livi almost laughed at the use of his name - no one except Bruno really used it, unless they were mad at him. He supposed pointing a gun at someone was a good enough reason to be mad, though.

 "Getting some answers. How did you know about the shooting at the gallery?"

 Josip paled, and his hands twitched, as if he was resisting the urge to fidget. Or reach for Livi's gun.

 "Didn't we have an agreement about not asking each other about what we do and what we know? So no one can gain the upper hand?"

 Livi cocked his gun, and the sound rang in the silence. 

 "Tell me how you knew about the shooting or the next question I will ask will be if you'd prefer me to shoot you in the leg or in the arm first."

 Josip clenched his jaw, and focused on Livi, analyzing him for a moment. Probably calculating how likely he was to pull the trigger. 

 Livi felt numb. The only thing he concentrated on was the weight of the gun in his hands, and his steady breathing. Nothing more, nothing less. It was a trick Suba taught him when was younger. Focus on things you can control, and let them ground you. 

 "I was supposed to be a backup, if anything happened. The plan changed last minute," Josip bit his lip, "but something was off about the whole thing. 

 "Off how?"

 "Off like... it was very rushed. Sloppy almost. Kalinić wanted it to be over with quickly-"

 Josip's speech got interrupted by the doors slamming open and Livi, in his startled state, took about two seconds to turn and aim his gun at the intruder and shoot. Too slow. 

 He missed. 

 The man moved so fast Livi didn't recognize him at first. Not until they both stood opposite each other, each looking down the barrel of the other’s gun. 

 His long blond hair pulled into a ponytail and the way he held a gun were unmistakable. Domagoj Vida. Shit.

"Livi. Put the gun down. You really don't want to make this worse for yourself."

 Livi tightened his hold on his weapon.

 "Make what worse for myself? What exactly did I do to make you decide to point your gun at me?"

If he was being honest, he was stalling. It wasn't hard to guess why Domo was here. Livi acted too suspicious lately, leaving too many clues for someone to pick up.

 Knowing information he shouldn't, then showing up with backup to save Luka from the hospital... he was getting sloppy and someone - either Luka or Dalić, he supposed - caught on. Stupid. 

 "Luka told me to keep an eye on you. That you might be getting information from people," Domo titled his head towards Josip, "that you shouldn't even talk to anymore. And it seems he was right."

 Livi clenched his teeth, studying the man in front of him. He’d seen Domo fight a few times, so he knew what he was dealing with. He was brutal and reckless, but his main goal was to cause damage. Which meant his blows wouldn't be as precise as Livi's. If he could give a few precise hits fast enough...

 "He didn't specify if I should deliver you and your friend dead or alive though. Which is unusual, but I’m taking it to mean it’s up to me, so you might think about what you are going to do."

 Livi's blood froze in his veins as something clicked in his head. There was no way Luka could have said that. Livi spoke to Šime before all of this mess and Luka was asleep. And if he did that after he woke up, there’s no way Domo would have the time to follow him here.

 Someone was setting him up. Livi couldn't think past the roaring of blood in his ears. Josip's words from earlier echoed in his ears. Kalinić. His brother was somehow involved in all this, but he couldn't have ordered Domo… not unless he had help from someone from their side. 

 Livi pushed all of his thoughts and suspicions aside, acknowledging that he really didn't have the time to think about this right now. He needed to focus on keeping himself - and possibly Josip – alive for now. 

 Domo glanced at Josip for the briefest second, but that was all Livi needed. 

 He threw himself forward, knocking Domo's gun out of his hands, but losing his in the process as well. They both scrambled for their weapons and landed clumsily on the floor with Livi on top of Domo.

 "Run!" he shouted to Josip, which earned him a hard punch in the mouth for his moment of distraction.

 Pain spread through his jaw and he tasted blood from his split lip. He jabbed Domo in the ribs with his elbow, and by the crack and the grunt of the pain, he probably broke at least one. 

 Domo retaliated by kicking him square in the solar plexus, and Livi gasped, trying to catch his breath through the sharp pain. Domo pushed him off, and Livi rolled on the floor, barely getting up in time to stop Domo's next blow.

 He blocked the punch, but wasn't fast enough to stop Domo from grabbing his wrist as he did so, slamming his left hand to the wall. The sickening crack and pain that erupted from his wrist told him it was broken. Well shit. 

 Livi reached blindly with his right hand, grabbing the first thing on the counter next to him and slamming it into his opponent’s head. He saw that it had been a vase, but it shattered as it connected with Domo, sending shards of ornately painted ceramic clattering to the floor. 

 Livi pushed him away hard and Domo stumbled, shaking his head to stay conscious. Livi didn't give him a chance to recover - he jumped, spun in the air and kicked Domo right in the head. The blond dropped to the floor with a loud thud, and then there was silence. Livi's breath was ragged, but he didn't have the time to get it under control. 

 He grabbed his and Domo's gun from the floor and ran to the door. Bruno was waiting for him with a parked car and his eyes widened when he saw his boyfriend. Livi realised that he probably looked awful, with blood on his face and his left wrist hanging limply. 

 "Drive!" Livi ordered as soon as he sat in the car and Bruno complied, eyeing him nervously.

 Bruno was about to say something but Livi interrupted him again. 

 "Not to our apartment. Drive to the safehouse where Luka and Ante are. If I am right, they are equally in danger as I am."

 Livi reached for his phone, hissing in pain as he remembered his left hand wasn't functional at the moment. 

 "What danger? Livi, what's going on?" Bruno asked, gripping the wheel tighter. 

 "No time to explain, sorry" Livi said, dialing Šime's number, "I need to call Šime and tell him he needs to be there as well. Something is very, very wrong."

 Before Livi could press call though, something else happened. Josip was calling him. He never called him on this phone unless it was an emergency, but Livi supposed this whole situation was one. He answered immediately.

 "Josip? Are you alright?"

 "Yes," The other man's voice was breathless from running, "I needed to check if you were alive. I am almost at the main house now but, God, Livi what the fuck was that?"

 Livi sighed, not being sure what to say. How could he even explain when he wasn't sure what was going on?

 "I am not sure myself. Just...be careful, alright?"

 "There is something else that I need to tell you. I remembered-"

Josip's voice was suddenly cut off, and Livi could hear distant voices and shouting from the background. What was going on?

 "Who is this?" a different voice asked sharply.

 Livi's heart stopped for a moment, his blood turning to ice. This voice was all too familiar… a voice that he had been hearing almost his whole life. The voice of his brother. Lovre.

 "Lovre?" 

 The question escaped him without his permission and he wanted to kick himself instantly? What kind of stupid idiot...

 "Livi," Lovre's voice was icy, and he didn't ask, he knew it was him, "I see you found a way to keep tabs on us. Congratulations."

 Livi gripped the phone tighter, his breath catching in his throat. Hearing his brother’s cold, detached tone hurt him more than he thought possible, even after all this time. 

 "I hope you got all the information you needed. Your friend Posavec might be... otherwise preoccupied for a while. A little tied up, one could say."

 Livi could practically hear the sadistic smirk on Lovre’s face, and it sent a shiver down his spine. Images of Josip being tortured flashed through his mind, making him feel so nauseous that he thought he was going to throw up right then and there.

 "But since I’m such a good brother, I'll give you a choice. If you show up in the next 48 hours, I'll let him live. If you don't... well I’m sure you get the idea, but I'll send you a video just to make sure."

 Livi breathed in sharply, biting his already split lip until blood was all he could taste. His head was spinning.

 "Lovre, wait! You can't-"

 A dull beep told him the line had gone dead, and he let the phone slip through his shaking fingers. God, what had he done?

 He glanced at Bruno, who, by the look on his face, was definitely still looking for answers of his own. His mind quickly went through Luka, Šime and Ante's possible reactions, and realised that he knew what he had to do. He picked up the phone from the footwell and opened a new text message… Bruno couldn't hear this conversation. 

 I need your help. Text me as soon as you wake up. 

 Livi had hoped to be able to talk to Luka in person about this, but the way things were going, he didn't want to risk it. 

 Livi smiled bitterly. Who better to ask how to fight his brother, than the person who’d been training him for that exact situation for months?

 With that thought, Livi's exhaustion and injuries finally caught up with him and he fell back into his seat, drifting off into a turbulent sleep.

Taglist:

@morska-vjestica

 @hetapeep41

 @hvnedge

 @incelhugochavez

@wordpuddle

[get-your-fics]

Violent Delights - Chapter Six

The Path the Blade Follows

Summary: Bruce Wayne is addicted to a lot of things to distract from his dark urges, but his addiction to you might only increase them.

Pairing: dark!Bruce Wayne x reader

Series warnings: Violence, language, smut, rape/non-con, stalking, kidnapping, underage drinking, drug use, torture, abuse

CHAPTER FIVE

When I came to, I was laying on a hard, cold, stone slab. I sat up, my whole body aching. I slowly blinked, clearing my blurry vision to take in my surroundings. I was in a dark, damp network of underground caves lit up by candles lining the walls. Water ran down the side of wrought iron gates sealing off some of the archways and trickled to the ground.

“Bruce...”

My head snapped to identify the source of the voice. Ra’s al Ghul turned the corner and stood at the edge of a hallway. He stalked towards me with a curved dagger in his hand, the silver steel edge glinting in the dim light. I hopped off of the slab and readied myself to fight. “Where am I?”

“Beneath Blackgate Penitentiary. Alfred Pennyworth and Jim Gordon are upstairs.” He glanced at the ceiling for a second before focusing his attention back on me. “In the company, unbeknownst to them, of my men.”

I drew my thick brows together. “Let them go. They have nothing to do with this.”

“Still playing the white knight, Bruce?” He smirked at me like a crocodile barring its teeth before eating a meal.

My eyes widened as realization hit me. “You replaced the guards before I got here.”

“I’m sure your friends can fend for themselves.” His tone was patronizing.

“You applied for diplomatic immunity, knowing I’d hear about it and come for you.”

“I wanted the knife, but nor for the reason you think.” He looked down at the blade in his hand with admiration. “It’s been ages since I first held this dagger. It was given to me moments after I was bathed in the Lazarus Pit.” He turned away from me and held his hand out under a stream of water dripping from the ceiling. “Submerged in the waters, suspended between life and death.” He stared at the dirty water filling his palm, mesmerized. “I saw a vision of you, my heir.”

“You’re insane,” I spat. “I’m not your heir. I don’t even understand what that means.”

He faced me, and before I knew what was happening, he grabbed my clenched fist. “It means that you are the only one who can end my suffering.” He forced the handle of the blade into my hand. He stared at me with desperation in his eyes. “Please.”

I furrowed my thick brows. “You want me to kill you?”

He let go of my hands, leaving me to hold the blade. “Set me free.” I lowered my gaze to inspect the dagger in my grip. It felt heavy, like it was weighing me down and dragging me to the center of the Earth. “This may be hard for you to understand, but I have walked this Earth for centuries waiting for you, Bruce. Only you can kill me, and only with that dagger. That is my curse. That is the meaning of my vision.”

I lifted my head to glare at him. “I don’t believe you.”

He walked closer to me. “Believe me.”

“This is just another manipulation.” I clenched my jaw.

He drew his brows together, and my skin crawled under his intense gaze. He looked like a predator stalking its prey, and I wasn’t sure if he was about to devour me or not. “See. Look.”

He gestured down to a dip in the stone floor where a puddle of grimy water was gathering. On the surface, I could see his reflection, but it wasn't him. He still had all the same features, but ashy, gray skin was pulled taut over his bones. His face was creased with deep wrinkles and lined with purple veins. His hair stuck up in gray, wiry tufts on his head. His eyes were dull with deep, shadowed circles around the sockets. He looked like a ghastly wraith, but instead of being intimidated, I couldn’t feel anything but pity for him. He looked tired and sorrowful, like he just wanted to lie down, fall asleep, and never wake up.

“My true form,” he mused. “Every moment of my life is agony.” He looked back up at me. “End my suffering.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Whatever your curse is, you deserve it for what you’ve done,” I seethed through gritted teeth.

“You’re angry, Bruce. I understand.” His tone was almost placating. “But unless you strike me down with that blade, you will never be free.”

“No!” I cut him off, shaking my head. “I won’t.” I turned my back on him and walked away. An uncomfortable silence settled over the room, and I could feel the pressure mounting.

“Then allow me to tell you what will happen if you don’t kill me.” His voice sliced through the tension like the blade in my hand. “I will disappear and let you live your life. You will follow the path of light, grow into a fine man, become a husband, a father. There may be a day when you forget I ever existed.”

I felt a single tear leak out of the corner of my eye and roll down my cheek. It dripped off my chin and landed on the floor with a satisfying drop.

“But then, I will return.” His tone darkened and turned sinister. He crept closer to me, and I could hear the sound of his footsteps click against the floor. “And I will kill everyone you love. Just as you watched your parents die, just as you watched me slice your friend’s throat, I will slaughter your wife and children before your very eyes, and there will be nothing you can do about it,” he hissed directly into my ear.

Rage surged within me, and I spun around. I stabbed the blade firmly in his chest; the feeling as it sunk into his flesh was unforgettable. His eyes bulged, nearly popping out of his skull, and he let out an airy groan. “Die!” I growled and shoved the blade in deeper. His painful howls increased in volume and echoed off of the stone walls, piercing my ears.

I finally pulled the blade out. Its silver surface was stained with his dark, inky blood, but his shirt was spotless. He ripped open his shirt and revealed the concavity where I had stabbed him, but there was no blood. Instead, there was a fiery, burning ember exploding in the hole in his chest. His skin paled, and black liquid ran through his protruding veins, making them look like bolts of lightning. A wave of ash stemmed from the wound and ate up his flesh, singeing it until it resembled char.

He collapsed and leaned back against the stone slab in the middle. “Yes,” he sighed.

My whole body trembled as I watched his eyes sink into his sockets and glaze over with lifelessness. His skin shriveled until he was merely a sack of bones. He was completely unrecognizable from the man he had been a few moments before. He looked like he had been a dead, decaying corpse for centuries.

I heard footsteps behind me, and I whirled around to see Alfred and Jim Gordon standing in the archway, guns drawn. They lowered their guns when they saw me. Their gazes drifted down to Ra’s, and their eyes widened when they saw him, or what was left of him. My cheeks felt wet; I hadn’t even realized I had been crying. The blade slipped from my grip and fell to the ground with a reverberating clang.

I wonder what it would be like, if I hadn’t have killed him. I wonder what would’ve happened if I had met you and didn’t have blood staining my hands. Maybe I wouldn’t have hurt you; maybe he would’ve instead. Alfred always thought that the reason I turned to the partying and the drugs and the drinks and the girls was because I felt guilty for killing Ra’s, but that wasn’t true.

It was because I had enjoyed it.

-

“Bruce! Bruce, wake up!”

I jolted awake in my bed. My body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, the white sheets and my mess of dark curls sticking to me. My chest heaved up and down at a rapid pace, and I turned my head to see Grace sitting up in bed next to me. She held the sheets close around her bare body.

“Are you all right?” She leaned forward and caressed my cheek. “You were screaming in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare?”

“I’m fine,” I wheezed, swatting her hand away. I was shaking, and I hugged my knees to my chest. “You’re still here.”

She furrowed her brow. “Yeah, of course.” She tilted her head to the side. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

My breathing started to slow. “I don’t know. I thought you would be mad at me for last night or something,” I mumbled.

Her gaze lowered to the covers. “Oh, yeah. That.” She scratched her arm nervously. “Well, I know you’re going through a tough time right now. I want you to know I’m here for you.” She smiled and rested a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I ran my hands down my face. “God, I don’t want your pity.” I shrugged her hand off of me. “You’re not Mother Teresa, Grace. You’re just some horny chick who thinks she can chain me to her. You can’t help me, or fix me, or whatever the fuck you think you’re trying to do.”

Her expression contorted. “What?”

“I mean, how desperate can you be?” I laughed. “Did you really think I was gonna want to take you out to dinner and a movie just because I fucked you a few times?”

Her jaw hung so low, I thought it would hit the floor. “God, you are such an asshole, Bruce.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “You push away anyone who gives a single fuck about you.”

“Yeah, whatever. Just get the fuck out before I have to drag you out.” I gestured vaguely to the door before swinging my legs over the side of the bed away from her.

I held onto the edge of the bed, my shoulders square and my back tense. She didn’t say anything else, just gathered her clothes and cursed under her breath. I heard the door swing open and slam shut with a resounding bang. Then, I was all alone.

Now I was having night terrors even with someone else in bed with me. The darkness was growing stronger. None of my usual behaviors could quell this insatiable hunger inside of me anymore. I needed to do something, something to stop the consumption before it ate me alive and transformed me into a hollow shell of the person I once was.

I needed to make a sacrifice, and I knew just the perfect candidate.

-

I followed Brant Jones from his townhouse uptown all over Gotham City. Unlike you, he didn't do much. He went to a few lunches or to the mall here or there, but besides that, he mainly stayed at his home. He didn’t do anything interesting until one night, his town car pulled up in front of an old bar. I parked down the street in my classic, black Cadillac. In this instance, I didn’t think I could pay my chauffeur enough to keep his mouth shut.

I followed Brant into the bar, the hood of my leather jacket pulled up so it cast shadows over my face. However, it was so dark, it was hard to see anything anyway. The main staple was a giant, oak bar along one side of the room with a glittery neon sign above it. On the other wall were stuffy, tufted booths made out of red leather. The bar was packed. All of the stools were taken by people waiting to get their drinks, leaving everyone else to stand, and a large crowd occupied the booth in the back corner.

Brant headed straight for that booth, tugging on the lapels of his navy blazer and running a hand over his slicked back, brown hair. “Hey, guys!” He beamed, revealing two rows of bleached white teeth.

He was greeted with a series of “Hey, Brant”s in return. Several people in the group came over and hugged him. One of the stools opened up, and I immediately slid into it. I had a perfect view of everything that was going on at the booth, but it was hard to hear what they were saying over the chatter and the jazz music drifting out of the speakers.

“Happy birthday, man!” Brant shouted and wrapped his arms around a rather tall boy that I didn’t know. He patted him on the back, and when they pulled away, he produced a small box wrapped in paper out of his blazer. I assumed this was a birthday celebration of some kind.

The group sat down in the booth, and he took his place next to a girl I recognized as Emma Hsueh. She also used to attend Anders Prep with me, Tommy, and Grace. She and Brant smiled at each other before he slung an arm around her. It was done so casually, but I raised an eyebrow nonetheless.

They drank and talked for a while before they started opening presents. Brant got the birthday boy an expensive-looking Rolex, of course. Then, they drank and talked some more until the birthday boy footed the bill. I followed them as they spilled out of the booth and onto the sidewalk, mostly in pairs. I observed Brant as he walked out of the bar, his fingers covertly intertwined with Emma’s. Everyone departed from one other, each town car that pulled up to the curb a carbon copy of the other.

When no one was looking, Brant tugged on Emma’s hand and pulled her into a nearby alley. I chased after them and pressed myself against the brick wall of the bar. I leaned back and kicked one foot up on the wall so that if anyone walked by me, it wouldn’t look like I was eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Are you sure you can’t come over tonight?” I heard Emma ask in her whiny, high-pitched voice.

“No, I have something I gotta do,” came Brant’s reply. “But I’ll see you tomorrow, ‘kay, babe?”

“Okay.”

They went quiet, and I leaned in a little closer, my ears straining to hear what they were doing. Then, I heard it: the small, telltale sound of lips against lips.

He was cheating on you.

As if he wasn’t already bad enough, he had the audacity to cheat on you, and why? Because you had been a little busy lately? Because you couldn’t spend every waking second by his side since you were raising money for people in need? How selfish could he possibly be? I would never do something like that to you. Hell, I could hardly bring myself to touch Grace, and you weren’t even mine yet. You would be more than enough to satisfy me.

Emma walked out of the alley, and I lowered my head as she passed me. I pushed myself off of the wall and turned into the alley just as Brant was walking out. My chest bumped into his, and I stumbled back slightly. He lifted his head to make direct eye contact with me, his eyes widening.

“Brant?” I pulled my hood down and forced a smile on my face. “I thought that was you in there, but I didn’t want to interrupt whatever you guys were doing.”

“Oh, hey, Bruce.” He avoided my gaze. “Yeah, we were just celebrating a friend’s birthday.”

“Nice.” I nodded and shoved my hands in the pockets of my jacket. “What are you up to these days?”

“Nothing much.” He cleared his throat. “Bruce, I just want to clear the air. I know I was a total jerk to you the last time we spoke, and I’m not that person anymore. So, I just want to say I’m sorry. No hard feelings?”

Not the same person? Right, ‘cause you weren’t a total jerk for cheating on your girlfriend just now with someone completely inferior. “Of course. No hard feelings.” The frozen smile on my face didn’t reach my eyes.

His smile was genuine. “Great.” He looked over my shoulder. “Well, it’s getting late. I should probably go.”

He tried to sidestep me, but I blocked his path. “Why not stay a little while? We can catch up.” I tilted my head to the side. “We can talk about how you’re cheating on (Y/N) (Y/L/N) with Emma Hsueh.”

His eyes widened to the size of saucers. “Cheating on (Y/N)?” He shook his head, a slight laugh escaping his lips. “Bruce, it’s not what you think.”

“Oh, save it.” I moved forward, forcing him to back up further into the alley. “I was watching you two in there, being all lovey dovey under everyone’s noses. You thought no one would see you, but I saw you. I saw everything.”

“You were watching me?” He furrowed his brows. “Have you been stalking me?”

“Don’t try to turn this on me.” I jabbed a finger into his chest. “You’re the one cheating on your girlfriend when not too long ago you told her you love her.” My whole body was shaking. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and my heart was beating so hard in my chest, I felt like it was going to burst. “You don’t love her like I do, and you’re never going to love her. Never again.” “Bruce, what... what are you doing?” he stammered. “You’re scaring me.” His pupils were blown out with fear, his irises mere rims around them. I smiled, for real this time. “Good.”

I took the switch knife out of my pocket and flicked it open. Before he could react, I clamped a gloved hand over his mouth and sunk it into his gut. He screamed into my hand, and I pulled the knife out only to shove it back in. I gritted my teeth as I stabbed him a few more times. I saw red as I plunged the blade into him, relishing in the noise the knife made as it sliced through his flesh.

I finally pulled it out, and vibrant, red blood dripped off of the edge and dotted the concrete ground. I looked down at his stomach; the fabric of his shirt was completely soaked in dark blood. I removed my hand from his mouth. His lips parted, but he was in so much pain that no sound came out. His knees buckled, and he crumpled to the ground in a pool of his own blood. His skin paled, and I watched the life fade from his eyes as red liquid bubbled from his lips. I would’ve spat on his corpse if it didn’t mean the cops could tie me to the crime.

I flipped the blade back in and tucked it into my pocket. I bent down and took his wallet out of his blazer. I would toss it in a dumpster a couple of blocks away. I didn’t bother to move the body; I just left it there. I pulled my hood back up and walked out of the alley. Someone would probably discover it in the morning, and by then, it would be too late to connect me to anything.

My only regret is that I didn’t made him suffer longer.

CHAPTER SEVEN

[angelskyladiana]

Mrs Black- Victor Zsasz

FULL MASTERLIST

CHAPTER 3: THE SPY

Summary: Before there was Zsasz, there was Victor. Before there was a murderer, there was a businessman. Before his insanity, he had her, but under unforeseen events they were separated and that’s where his madness began. Will he find her once more? Will she be able to save him before he falls into lunacy? In a world under the thumb of a mysterious woman, can they escape her? Or will Mrs Black have the last laugh?

Warnings: Violence

Word Count: 1348

————

CHAPTER 2

The dark clouds loomed over the city, it was about night time now and at this moment sirens began to scream.

"No I won't be gone long darling, just the next three days at most," The young woman spoke into the phone as she walked to the door of the limo waiting for her, a hefty man opening the door for her immediately, "Yes I know. I promise," She continued, the other voice was so quiet that the man who opened her door and was now in the driver's seat, couldn't hear a peep from the other side, "I have to go my love, but I'll call you later today I promise. Alright, have a good day then. Bye," She finally finished, hanging up the call soon after and placing the device in her lap.

"Everything alright ma'am?" The driver questioned she looked up at him from the phone with a beaming smile.

"Yes, thank you. I apologize for my rudeness, Stolz,"

"Not at all," He spoke lightly, fixing his rear view mirror, looking into her deep, dark eyes through the reflection, "where to, Mrs Mávros?"

She smiled at his use of Mrs rather than Miss and as if on cue her phone buzzed in her lap, she flipped it over, seeing it was from Lorien; He's meeting Aubrey James at Giovanni's on 3rd Street in an hour. Her eyes narrowed at the text, she knew that restaurant, she had been there many times and it used to be a hotspot for her when she was a child. "Giovanni's. On 3rd street," She spoke aloud.

"No problem, Mrs Mávros," Mr Stolz spoke before starting the car and driving off the runway and pulling out onto the main road. Her phone buzzed once more; He's currently staying at 14 Ethridge Road.

She typed back a pleased reply, her eyes flickering from the screen to look out the window at the dark city of Gotham. It really hadn't changed much, the building were the same, the amount of homeless people was the same and the overall aura that clouded this city would never change. But did she really want it to change? The city was easy to control from the shadows and the Madame had done it for years, she had industries throughout the world and billions at her fingertips but the control of this city from the darkness was most important.

The car pulled up out the front of Giovanni's restaurant, its dark exterior lit by the red neon sign above the entry. It hadn't changed either. Stolz parked the car and walked speedily to her door, quickly opening it and extending a hand inside the car towards her. She uttered a thank you as she stood from out of the car, waiting for him to shut the door before walking in.

The bell at the door chimed as Brandt Stolz pushed in the door from behind the young woman. The brown-haired lady sashayed over to the reception desk and lightly tapped the silver bell, causing a waiter to snap their head towards her.

He quickly scampered over to the desk after noticing the gorgeous features of the woman behind it. His hands shook as he approached, getting lost in her eyes as he breathed a staggering breath, "Hey- hi how can I help you this fine night?"

She smirked but stayed quiet, icy orbs glaring into his and as if he was a fly in a spider's web, he couldn't tear them away from her. Her buff driver sauntered up beside her causing the man to tear his eyes from the small thing beside him, "Reservation. Mávros," He grunted.

The waiter was visibly sweating through his white shirt as he looked between the two in confusion but one look from the massive man and never had a person moved so quickly, "Mávros. Of course, sir!"

The two were soon directed to a table in the corner out the back of the restaurant, as they strutted past. To anyone who saw the pair, they would believe Stolz to be a man of power or possible mobster and the woman beside him to be some floozy or perhaps a gold digger, bystanders would never guess who was really calling the shots.

As a gentleman and good employee would, he pulled out her chair and tucked it in as she sat down before seating himself. "What now, Miss?" He questioned.

"We wait. Do you like wine, Stolz?" She enquired, smirking at her acquaintance.

His face lit up which looked foreign against his features, Stolz' eyes shinning as he spoke casually to the usually uptight Mrs Mávros, "Are we on first name basis tonight, Miss?"

"Why not? So red or white Brandt?"

He chuckled slightly, "red goes best with Italian food... Scarlett" he almost blushed.

"Good choice." She agreed, soon he ordered the wine and then they ordered food and to the outside world they might even look like a couple on a date, they blended in completely to the atmosphere; exactly what they wanted.

The bell on the door chimed as the penguin hobbled in through the door, a grin present on his red, pointed face as he scanned the room. His beady eyes soon landing on the chubby, balding man sitting in the centre of the restaurant chowing down on a plate of pasta.

The Penguin limped over to the previous mayor, supporting himself with his decorative cane, the smile not once leaving his face. He sat down opposite Aubrey James. "A public place. Smart." He remarked, but Aubrey James didn't pay him any attention.

"Knowing your flare for the dramatic, I felt it necessary." He pronounced looking unbothered and unfazed by the criminal in front of him.

Oswald scoffed, a slight chuckle escaping his throat, "How flattering. But why exert myself needlessly?" He questioned the unenthusiastic man, "the public sees me as a man of action, of change. You... You are yesterday's sad joke." Aubrey James looked up at the Penguin in annoyance, finally giving him the attention the bird craved. "While Galavan humiliated this city, where were you? In a warehouse with a box on your head,"

"You're an unstable lunatic, Penguin, and people are going to see right through you. I've got the judges, the unions, the GCPD, and a whole team of legal experts behind me. What do you got?" He challenged.

"I have me."

Aubrey James laughed loudly in his face, "You're psychotic!" he hollered, causing Oswald to stand in outrage. Immediately three guns from wait staff were pointed at his head, the restaurant went quiet, the only sounds heard were that of whimpers and slight shrieks of fear. Oswald looked around peeved, "Not this time, Penguin. My head will not be put in a box again,"

A smile broke out on his face, his lips curling in satisfaction, "Oh, you. So smart. Always one step ahead," He pointed directly at the previous mayor before the sounds of many more guns echoed around the room at the click of Oswald's fingers, soon all were pointed at Aubrey James and his associates heads, "never three. Relax. I do not want you dead. Besides, what kind of fun would an election be if I were the only candidate, huh?" He quizzed in delight, pulling out a badge and sticking it on Aubrey's suit jacket. "You're right about one thing, though. I do need a little help, and I have just the right person in mind." He grinned as the man looked up at him in fear and confusion. Oswald Cobblepot grinned widely and maliciously, a laugh echoing from his throat at the upstage of Aubrey James. Little did he know of the two sets of eyes watching every move he made from the corner of the restaurant, dark lips curved upwards.

Enticing.

CHAPTER 4

[a-jynx]

Lost in the Heart & at Sea;  Chapter One: Love Letters & Shipwrecks

Summary: Sam and Nathan Drake finds themselves running in circles when they catch wind of a new treasure that was supposedly lost to the sea; the Diamond of the Pacific, a ring that was meant for Captain Jules wife. With enemies at every corner, they’ll need all the help they can get… Including, inside jobs. How will Sam and Nathan react when they figure out who Y/N really is? How will Sam react when she shows him sides of her no one else has seen?

Pairing: Sam Drake x reader; mentions Nathan Drake, Elena Fisher, Victor Sullivan, Nadine Ross, Rafe Adler,

Warnings: Cursing, blood/violence, gun violence, implied smut, angst, testing fate/loyalty, major injury,

Notes: This is the first Uncharted Series I have ever attempted, so, I apologize now if it turns out horrible :) I’ve taken a strong liking to the Drake boys once again, and I don’t plan on seizing up hopefully! However, I will still take request for SPN, and other shows/video games! Send an Ask and you’ll be added to my drafts to be written! :) 💖

Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated!

I woke with a growl, rubbing at the knot that had formed on the back of my head. “Dammit.” Glancing around, I noted that I was in a hotel room that I didn’t recognize as the one from Italy. Pushing myself up onto my elbows, I sat up fully with a huff as I cracked my neck, frowning at the stiffness that warped through my aching bones. 

“Good to see Drake didn’t kill you, I would’ve had to shoot him,” Nadine spoke as I glance over, furrowing my brows as she stuck out a glass of water, sighing I thanked her and took a sip. “How’s your head feeling?” She asked, sitting in the desk chair as I frowned, rubbing a hand down my face with a scoff. “My head’s fine, I’m not dead. But... The cross,” 

“Y/N, you tried... I know I usually want 110% from you since you’re my right-hand gal, but... You had it until Nathan Drake came barreling in like some bull in a china shop.” Nadine frowned as I shrugged gently, glancing down at my outfit to see my suit had been replaced by my pale tanktop and my army green cargo shorts. “Besides, Rafe found something better...” Nadine smirked as I looked up, frowning as I shook my head. “There can be nothing better than Henry Avery’s treasure, Nadine.” 

“But, there can be.” She jutted out her index as I deepened my frown before pushing up from the comfortable bed, moving towards her as she turned in her seat and shoved a few books off to the side before showing a few pieces of old, torn papers that held something that resembled... Coordinates? 

“Alright, I’ll bite, what the hell?” 

“Since Rafe expressed his anger with the cross being stolen, he demanded that he got something to replace the thing... So, in return, the woman running the auction gave him this,” she paused, handing me one of the papers that resembled a diary entry. 

My love, 

I am afraid that your gift will never arrive and neither will I. I chose the wrong life, my sweet, for I should’ve chosen you. If this letter is to ever reach you then you shall know that I tried... I tried to give you the sea, but it only took me away from you. I do hope you know how much I love you, Merina... My God, I love you. 

Your Jules.  

“Okay, so, some pirate-” 

“Captain Charles Jules,” Nadine added as I nodded, continuing. 

“Right. Captain Charles Jules was coming home to give his wife something that related to the sea... But, it was lost just like his body was to the cruel waves.” I murmured the last part, thinking about the poor bastard’s wife and how she must’ve never truly known about her husband's death, or just how deeply he wanted to please her. So sad... 

“Poor man, but the last thing he writes are the coordinates of where his ships sank, and that could lead us to the Diamond of the Pacific.” Nadine grinned like the Devil as I cocked a brow, dropping the piece of paper back in front of her as I frowned. “Diamond of the Pacific? Do we even know what that could be?” Nadine merely frowned. 

“Not yet, but there are a few more mentions of this Diamond throughout his entries, and Rafe is stating that it’s most likely not a real diamond.” She sighed, flipping through a few more pages as I laughed, grabbing one of the stone-like paperweights and tossing it up and down. “Well, I guess Captain Jules never learned that diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” 

“Ha! I’ve never seen you wear diamonds, not even when needing to play fancy.” Nadine scoffed with a snort as I grinned, twirling the paperweight in hand with a smirk. “I didn’t say they were mine, I’m more of... Sapphire or emerald type of gal.” Nadine nodded, smirking. She went to say something, only to be cut short as her cell rang, making me set the paperweight down and move away, thinking it was an important call. 

My mind slowly floated back to the other night, it whirling as I thought of... Sam Drake. He had to have known something was off about me, especially when Nadine came running down the hall screaming my name like a madman. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory. Why was he so... Keen on knowing who I was? What was his motive of knowing my true name? Damn him, anyway, even if he was one of the more attractive men I’ve met in my field. 

“Y/N! Pack your bags,” Nadine moved towards me as I turned, furrowing my brows as she smirked. “We’re heading on a little vacation.” She slipped her phone into her pocket, making me cross my arms over my chest as I sent her another look of ‘to where exactly?’ 

“I hope you brought your swimsuit, I hear Bora Bora is extremely lovely this time of year.” 

I pressed myself against the door, tying my hair back as Nadine and Rafe discussed the diamond’s hiding place further, but I couldn’t help but push them out of my thoughts. The sun was shining bright above head while the heavy winds bellowed through the open windows, my bangs tangling and flying around my aviators as I couldn’t help but smile. 

“Y/N!” Rafe shouted over the wind as I scooted forward, pushing the sunglasses down some on my nose with a grin. “Yes, Mr. Adler!” 

“I hope you realize just how important this treasure is now, right?” He shouted as I swallowed, thinking back to Henry’s cross. He must blame me... “Yes, sir, I do realize this.” 

“Then, you know that you must be ready to shoot, be shot at, and work until you’re sweatin’ like a pig!” Rafe laughed as I furrowed my brows, frowning some before stealing a glance at Nadine, who held an intense glare while keeping her head forward. “Yes, sir, I’m well-prepared for anything ahead of us.” I nod, puffing out my chest slightly as he glanced back at me in the rearview mirror. “Atta’ girl!” Rafe howled into the wind before pressing down on the gas, causing Nadine to hiss through clenched teeth and gather a death grip on her leather seat, I quickly do the same. This man is going to end up killing us...

“So,” I echoed as Nadine and I walked through the hotel hallways, attempting to find our shared room. “What exactly is our plan? I know you ended up bringing the Shoreline to help with this, but... I don’t think I’m ready to murder people in cold blood.” I huffed as she paused, humming before entering our keycard and pushing into the cool room. It held a more tropical sense, the walls were sky blue and fake palm trees tried to hide the few markings that weren’t supposed to be there. All of the furniture was a black stained bamboo wood that was accompanied by a deep red comforter -- it looked comfortable enough. 

“I know you’re concerned with this job, Y/N, but... Rafe is promising enough money to give us both a nice life, along with landslides into retirement.” She grinned as I scoffed at the thought, but snorted at the thought of Nadine Ross entering retirement. “Please, I’m only 35, jerk.” I moved around her, throwing my bag onto the bed as she did the same. “Also, I don’t know about you but I’m going to go explore the market, care to join?” 

“I would love too, but I need to get these coordinates figured out and which island I need to send the Shoreline and where that diamond could possibly be hidden.” Nadine murmured, reaching into her pack and yanking out books and maps that would’ve drove me mad ages ago. “Suit yourself! If you need me, you’ve got my number.” I called over my shoulder before exiting the room, pulling at my ponytail, and shaking it out before entering the small elevator; the silver doors slowly closing. “Hey, hold that ride down!” A gravelly voice shouted, causing me to thrust my hand out and stop the doors from closing. 

A tall man came running, an old white tank top that was peeking out from the open Hawaiian shirt which was accompanied by light wash jeans. The light scruff and curly, yet unruly brown hair showed how late he was, along with the sunglasses hiding his dark circles -- which I may happen to be doing the same. 

“Thank you, my dear lady,” he grinned, climbing in before pressing the lobby button before jutting his thumb at the buttons. “Different floor?” I shook my head. “Nope, the same place you’re going, flower boy,” I smirked as he furrowed his brows, only to what I assumed was glanced down and let out a chuckle. “Ha, flower boy, that’s a new one.” I grinned as the soft elevator music played, seeming to give us a soft atmosphere around us. I swept my hand through my wave of hair, allowing the thick mess to breathe as I gently sighed. 

“So,” Flower boy tsked suddenly, making me glance at him over my aviator's lens. “What brings a girl like you to a place like this? Honeymoon? One-year anniversary?” He couldn’t help but smirk as I scoffed, puffing up the back of my hair once again. “Oh, please, like any man could handle this.” I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth as I crossed my arms, puffing out my chest as his dark eyes trailed up and down my body making heat crawl up my throat and into my face. “Ah, so... You’re a free bird? No cage to hold you down.” 

“Not an iron bar in sight,” I smirked, reaching up and pushing my glasses to rest on the bridge of my nose. “What about you flower boy?” I glanced at his fingers that hung from his belt loops, a gold band sat neatly on his finger. “I see a cuff.” 

“Ah, it’s not my cuff, some poor bastard lost it so I took the poor thing and gave it a home.” He flexed his hand, causing me to glance down at it again. How would it have fallen off someone if it fits so tight on his hand? “So, you’re technically married to some woman that doesn’t know you exist?” I giggled with a small snort, causing him to chuckle with a shrug. “I suppose so, though, I don’t think I’d make a good husband.” He murmured, making me frown as I slowly took off my glasses, brushing my hair to the side. 

“Hey, flower boy, you can’t beat yourself up, alright? Besides, you seem like the type of guy that would have men jealous and the woman fawning over you.” I grinned as he chuckled, shrugging again. “I’m serious! Cut yourself some slack,” I paused as the elevator dinged, signaling that was flower boy and I’s stop. “Besides, maybe you just haven’t met the right girl yet!” I called over my shoulder as I exited the elevator, slipping my glasses back on as I moved towards the lobby doors, exiting into the warm heat of Bora Bora’s sunshine with a wide grin. The Diamond of the Pacific could wait a few more hours... I needed to get my exploring on. 

After exploring the through the market a bit more, and a few canvas bags later, I couldn’t help but notice the sweet view of the ocean from one of the tents. Chewing on my lip, I couldn’t help but wander closer to the shore. Stepping carefully through the large rocks, I dropped my bags off by the side and slipped my sandals from my aching feet, also removing my glasses. I bit my lip as the warm saltwater crashed over my toes, making me sigh as I gently kicked up some of the soft sprays with a chuckle. 

“What I would kill to live here,” I mumbled, taking in the heavenly view as the clash and clatter came from the market, keeping me well aware that I still needed to get back to the hotel. Inhaling the tropical air, I sighed, closing my eyes as I carefully listened to the waves rolling and crashing against one another, the slight slap as it crashed against the freshly muddied sand. I couldn’t help but wish I had chosen a different job... 

“Hey there stranger,” I gasped, thrusting my elbow back into the person’s stomach, before swiping my leg beneath their own, before turning and growling, only to gasp again as I saw flower boy lying beneath my shadow. “Holy shit! I’m so sorry, I -- military training.” I leaned down, grabbing one of his large hands with both of mine and tugged him up, keeping a hand on his chest as I made sure nothing was actually damaged, before quickly stepping back as his gaze traveled down before meeting my eyes once again. 

“Damn, Aviators nearly knocked me out.” He chuckled with a wheeze as I winced, squinting one of my eyes as I stepped forward with a frown. “I’m so sorry, it’s like I said, military training.” 

“No, no, it’s my fault,” he wheezed again before straightening his back, he stood taller than me once again, making me feel small. “I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.” He coughed, reaching back and scratching his neck. 

“I was just... Lost in thought.” I murmured, turning sideways and narrowing my eyes at the sea. Flower boy moved closer, standing next to me while stuffing his hands into his pockets with a low whistle, causing me to glance at him. “I can see why. It’s gorgeous once the sunsets just perfectly across the horizon,” he smirked, nodding to himself as I arched a brow, before turning back towards the ocean. 

“It’s a mystery out there. It’s one that I want to solve one day.” I sighed, just a little bit above a whisper. 

“So, you’re a marine biologist? That’s pretty cool.” 

“Oh, uh... Not exactly. That was my dream job while I was growing up, but... My dad had different ideas for me.” 

“So, he’s the one that sent you to military training, I take it?” He asked, pulling out a package of cigarettes, slipping one of the slender sticks out and snapping open his lighter and taking a hefty puff from it. “What made you guess?” I snarked, biting at my lip as I shook my head, causing my loose hair to fall into my face. “It was stupid of me to let him do it, but then again, when you don’t have anyone else to run too, you stick around with who you know.” I shrugged, kicking at the grains of sand as he turned towards me, offering me the cigarette, which I slowly went to accept, only to take a step back. “Can’t. Learning to quit.”

“Ha, you’ve got more willpower than I do, aviators.” He grinned, taking another huff of it as I frowned, turning back to the sunset only to narrow my eyes before going wide-eyed. Even with the heavy waves, the water was crystal clear, making it almost like a mirror. Narrowing my eyes again, my mouth formed a little ‘o’. Spinning on my heels, I quickly ran towards my things, slipping on my sandals, and grabbing my small bags before quickly trying to climb up the rocks. 

“What’s with the sudden rush?!” Flower boy shouted after me, making me pause as I turned towards him, already standing on the pavement with small bursts of breath. “I... There’s just something I really, really need to take care of but... I want to see you again. So, meet me here tomorrow, same time.” I grinned before taking off down the sidewalk, my mind not registering that I had just told a stranger to meet me again, as I ran back to the hotel. My legs slightly burned as I raced up the hillside up to the hotel’s driveway, running through the lobby, causing my sandals to slap across the floor before I reached the elevator, frantically clicking the third floors’ button. Once I reached the floor, I quickly jogged towards the room and banged on the door, only to have Nadine appear with a shocked look. 

“Y/N? What’s gotten into you? You look like a madman,” she slightly hissed, grabbing my wrists and pulling me into the room, peeking out before turning towards me and closing the door. I panted before dropping my bags and falling back into the desk chair with a grin. “I... I found it.” 

“Found ‘it’? You’ll have to more specific-” 

“The shipwreck... The shipwreck is just a few miles off the shore here. I... I was just standing there, and the water was so clear that I could just... See it.” 

“Y/N, there have been million’s of shipwrecks near Bora Bora, we need to mark these coordinates down, then head wherever they are trying to lead us.” Nadine sighed, yet I could see the hope in her eyes as I slowly nodded before sliding down onto the floor. “I’m going to take a nap because it’s been years since I ran that quickly with that much weight.” 

To be continued... 

Well, here’s chapter one! It’s shorter than I anticipated, but I feel like as long as you guys enjoy it, I’ll still work on it. And like I said if this series flops than I’ll make reader insert scenes from this :) 

So, hope you enjoy and know that I still will take requests and tags are still open 😁💖

[softlyjiminie]

sanctuary |  p.j.m

⇢ pairing(s): mafia boss!park x mafia wife!reader.

⇢ word count: 8.3K.

⇢ rating: 17+, mature.

⇢ genre: angst, fluff, violence, mafia!au.

⇢ summary: park jimin was an unforgiving, notorious mafia king, dominating the world. he could have anything he wanted, whenever he wanted but if there is one thing he loved more than the games, the weapons, the money…it was you.

⇢ warning(s): please read! mentions of kidnapping, swearing, violence ( mentions of shootings, slapping, wounds, explosives and fight scenes ), angst, mentions of sex, mentions of weapons and drugs.

⇢ author’s note(s): i’ve always had a thing for mafia aus, a gift from above so i had so much fun writing this. ( update: this fic has been slightly edited and updated as of 2020 )

⇢ parts: 1 2 3 4

⇢ sanctuary:  refuge or safety from pursuit, persecution, or other danger.

he would give everything he owned to see you smile, because, you were his home. his safe place. his sanctuary.

it hadn’t taken you long to come to, or at least that’s what you had initially thought. the harsh, overwhelming scent of damp and mould coaxed you into a reality that was typical for you to face, causing annoyance to roll in strong waves across your body. as you blinked rapidly, you took the time to assess your surroundings. dark warehouse? check. a room with shitty guarding? double check. you gave a light tug on your wrists that had been bound behind your back and sighed. cheap rope to tie up your wrists? triple check.

you rolled your eyes. see? typical.

you weren’t stupid. it was obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes that this was a ransom kidnapping, or anyone who had been as experienced in these situations as you had. slumping back in your seat, you sighed deeply, throat dry as you tried to recover your thoughts. the last events you remember coherently being the argument.

yourself and your boyfriend had just returned from a gala. your black ball gown restricting your breathing, causing you to grow frustrated whilst you tugged at the glittering diamonds that graced your neck. he wanted you to move in with him. you didn’t want that. he did...and your boyfriend was someone who always got what he wanted. you hadn’t know what had gotten him so mad, especially when you’d told him no. all you remembered, was that one second he was sweetly unzipping your dress whilst you consistently told him ‘we’ll talk later’ and in the next he was fuming and storming out of your small studio flat and back to the sleek black chrysler 3000 out front.

everything was pretty much a blur after that, aside from when you were hit in the head. you were painfully aware of that now. the dull ache in the back of your head seemed to have grown considerably and it was only then that you realised it was bleeding ever so slightly.

so many people were going to die tonight.

firstly the people who had kidnapped you and secondly, yourself. you were still wearing the gown, the one your boyfriend had bought you and blood stained easily. he would probably give you hell for the dry cleaning bill. exhaling again, you blew some of your matted fringe away from your eyes, squinting them to see if you could make out the figures by the door.

“hey shitheads,” you yelled, cursing unceremoniously. the men switched their attention over to you as you leaned forward in the chair they had oh-so-kindly strapped you to. “could you do me a favour and get a girl a glass of water? i’m a little parched. and some aspirin for this headache would be good too.”

one of the men laughed, his hefty frame jolting up and down as he looked over to his friend who only smiled smugly. “oh sweetheart, in case you hadn’t noticed...this isn’t some five star hotel.”

you bite back a growl. “listen here bub, ‘m just trying to make things easier for you. the better condition you return me in, the better chance you have at staying alive for the next twenty-four hours.” 

this time he snorted, walking closer to you before deciding to run the barrel of his gun down your jawline and then under your chin forcing you to look upwards. jimin was going to kill him. you grimaced, the man fanning his hot and potent breath over your face as he smiled. “who’s to say we won’t kill you before then?” he joked, leaning down so that your noses were only inches apart. you let a cruel grin spread across your pink lips, an eyebrow quirking in the process.

tilting your head, you looked the guard directly in the eye and whispered in a cool tone. “you won’t lay a hand on me if you know what’s good for you...”

and then you spat in his face.

the man reeled back in shock, desperately wiping his face as you smiled with satisfaction. if they were going to kidnap you and ruin what could’ve been a night of relaxation, you were going to have fun with it. his black beady eyes narrowed at you when he was done, and then, he was throwing down his gun and charging at you. “you bitch,” he hissed, heavy hand coming down against the soft skin of your cheek. it burned, leaving a red mark as the area begun to bruise. now, although you weren’t afraid, you had to admit you weren’t expecting that. the air in your lungs seemed to fly elsewhere and your head flew to the side with a slight crack. a silence swept over the room, the only sounds coming from the echo of the hit that had just been delivered to you and rough breaths that escaped from between your bruising lips. the man chuckled smugly, turning away from you for a second. “that’ll teach you.”

moving slowly, you turned to face him again and laughed. it was bitter, cool and would have sent chills down the spines of anyone who could see you. your damp hair falling fell over your face, cloaking it in darkness..

“he’s going to fucking murder you.”

the guard looked as if he was going to try and hit you again when the doors burst open, revealing a slightly shorter male, carrying a glass of water and what seemed like a pack of pills. “now now,” he murmured condescendingly to the guard before you, a twisted grin formulating on his thin lips. “i thought i asked you to play nice?”

“but she-“ the guard defended, only to earn a glare from his boss. he looked down at you with a slight grunt and you faked a sweet smile back at him as he moved back into position.

you turned your gaze to focus on the man who held the glass of water, your brows furrowing as you took in his appearance. he was on the shorter side, hazel brown eyes and lightly tanned skin. his face was oval, framed by greasy black hair but he was young...he couldn’t have been more than twenty, yet you figured he wasn’t much younger than you or jimin.

he smiled down at you, causing your body to fill to the brim with a nauseated feeling. pushing the pill that he’d been holding past your plump lips, he held  the cool glass to them and allowing you to sip from it. you gulped down the water a little too eagerly than you would have liked, trying to soothe the ache that rested in your dry throat.“that better, sweet thing?” god, you wanted to throw up. narrowing your eyes, you nodded at his words, watching as he placed the glass on a nearby storage unit. “i’m glad.”

he returned to you, running a calloused finger along the length of  your jaw before withdrawing from your bruised and tired form. “who the fuck are you?” you asked, boredom laced between each word. your mind couldn’t help but wonder how long you’d been here for, or how long this man had been watching you. it was obivous that he was after something... they always were and for some reason this exchange always involved you.

you wondered if jimin was looking for you, even after the fight. if he even knew you were missing. the thought alone sent chills down your spine, causing goosebumps to arise across the plains of your arm. ‘don’t be scared YN,’ you chanted to yourself like a prayer. ‘he’s looking for you right now.’

all you wanted in that moment was to go home and cuddle up to your boys. jimin’s men had treated you like family ever since you had started dating him, and you would give anything to be with them in this current moment. instead you were stuck here with some asshole who’s name you didn’t even know. “that’s a good question, dear YN,” the man smiled causing you to roll your eyes impatiently. He probably thought that knowing your name would intimidate you. He was wrong. “i, am sim sejun.” he ran a hand through his greasy locks, making you want to gag. “leader of the south, serpent side gang”

ahh. so he wasn’t a mafia leader. silly man.

thinking back to what you knew of mafia life, you figured that he was just a sub division of a larger group and it was then easier for you to decide that he definitely wasn’t a match for jimin’s men. your boyfriend was leader to one of the largest mafia units in south korea, dominating areas of seoul and busan alike, as well as having contacts across the globe. his unit was so infamous that they were practically impossible to track down, essentially remaining off the radar, very few low-level gangs actually knew of their existence. you take it that this guy did not.

anyone who knew jimin, knew that he treated everyone under him, like family. he had safe houses for all of his men and anyone connected to them. everyone knew that if they even laid a hand on his workers, let alone you, they were as good as dead the next day. you sighed again; slightly irked by the dramatics this man was putting on to scare you. “that’s just great! now that we’re acquainted with each other, mind telling me how long I’ve been out for?”

sejun glanced down at his watch, seemingly surprised by your sassy mouth and lack of fear.  “i’d say about forty-seven hours and thirty minutes, give or take a few,” he let his wrist drop to his side and gestured to one of his men to bring over a silver brief case. one of your boyfriend’s rules was to protect you with his life; that meant being kitted out with panic buttons and distress signals at all times but this man had been smart, removing your watch and bracelets which both contained a tracking device and a distress signal. jimin had promised you, that in the instance you weren’t able to use any of those devices, he would find you within forty-eight hours.  

not once had he failed to do so.

all you had to do was keep this man occupied for the next thirty minutes before jimin got to you. you trusted him with your life and he’d never let you down  thus far. “may i ask, mr sim,” you paused, checking to see if you’d captured his attention. his nimble fingers had paused on the keyboard of the laptop hidden away in the silver brief case and he glanced at you with suspecting eyes. “what exactly is it, that you’re hoping to get out of me?”  

sejun let, what looked like a cross between a pained expression and a grin form on his oily features as he dragged a chair to face opposite you. he sat backwards on it, nodding for one of his men to bring over the brief case from earlier. you watched with confused eyes as he tapped a few keys on it, revealing an image. “this is one of the most renowned weapons dealer in all of seoul,” sejun begun, turning the screen so that you could see. you couldn’t help the small gasp that tumbled from between your chapped lips as your tired eyes fell over the picture. it was of you and seokjin, one of jimin’s most trusted men. the picture had been taken roughly three weeks ago when the older male had taken you to his favourite café to treat you for getting a job promotion. “you know him and he as some artillery that we want.”

they had been watching you.

that meant that they had been tracking your every move for almost a month. they must’ve known where you worked and where your favourite place to eat was. where you lived. sim seemed to take pleasure in your shock, your unbothered facade faltering ever so slightly. “we’re hoping to make a little deal with seokjin’s boss, and you’re our end of the bargain,” the oblivion eyed man explained, tapping your swollen cheek slightly. you winced in response, screwing your eyes shut at the pain that spread across the sensitive area. “tonight, we’ll contact mr.kim and make some arrangements. then, I’ll think about letting you go.”

“fuck you.” you spat, mustering up all the venom you could. they didn’t even know who jin worked for and here they were using you as a bluff for some weapons. ugh. men and their toys. sejun didn’t seem to like you insulting him, so leaned over the frame of his chair to yank your sweaty locks back, forcing you to look up at him. without premeditation, the gang leader pressed a silver blade to your throat, and shot you a menacing look. come on. seriously?

“what was that?”

“d-don’t you boys know h-how to play nice?” you forced out through gritted teeth, a lump catching in the ridges of your throat. “I’m sure if you asked politely, jinnie would have been happy to help you.”

the gang leader pulled on your hair again, causing you to yelp out in pain and tears to form in your eyes. “that’s not how we do things around here ms.LN.” he yanked a third time, pressing the knife closer to your untainted flesh and you gasped, biting your lip as you tried not to cry.

“i d-don’t think seokjin’s b-boss would be very...pleased to hear you say that...” you mumbled, hating the feeling of this man’s fingers pressing against your scalp. Suddenly, he let go, letting your head drop forward was you struggled to catch your breath. Mr Sim walked away, grabbing a cloth from the top of a storage unit and wiping the blade he had once held to your neck with it.

he glanced back at you with a quirked brow. “his boss?”

you laughed deliriously, your hair falling over to cover your face as the sound bounced off every wall and surface in the blackened warehouse. Looking up, you allowed your eyes to lock with the man who had threatened to take your life and smiled, a large, genuine smile.“t-tell me mr.sim,” you began with a smooth and silky voice, putting him and his men on edge.

“what exactly do you know about park jimin?”

you laughed again when his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. sejun began to frantically order his men about, shouting at them to up security on all exits. your head lolled to the side slightly from the blood loss as you watched everyone whizz around in a desperate attempt to stand their ground.

“not very much, i take it.”

a voice sounded from the overhead speakers. you perked up, instantly recognising its source. your gaze flickered over to where sejun was standing as he looked up at the ceiling, confused. you grinned. “jinnie? that you?” you called out, happiness evident in your voice. “can you hear me?”

“loud and clear, darling.” he voiced back causing excitement to course through your veins. they had found you and now you could get the hell out of this place.

you shook your head fondly, looking up as sejun begun to pace out of fear. “how did you get through our security systems undetected?” the gang leader yelled, growing angsty.

“for starters; your firewall is pretty shitty and we have the best hacker in all of the world. right namjoon?” there was a clapping sound over the mic, followed by a groan which made you let out a light hearted giggle. “and i’d have to die before i let you touch MY weapons.”

sejun let out another growl before forcing one of his men to tend to his firewall which was currently down. you looked around you, watching as the chaos unfolded. “it took you long enough to find me jinnie!” you teased fondly, hoping that he could hear you above this mess of a gang. “i was starting to think you boys weren’t coming.”

“have a little more faith in us darling, we still have fifteen minutes.”

you let out a giggle that was instantly silenced by the gang leader who was now charging at you. he raised a hand, like he was about to attack but froze when jin took over the speakers again. “hey man, you gotta stop that. if you’re gonna act like that towards our girl, reinforcements will be sent in.” the older male complained, so much so that you could almost hear the pout in his voice. “jungkook, taehyung; you’re up.”

it was almost as if time had slowed down when a sudden beeping sound filled your ears. quickly realising what was happening you ducked your head and brought a knee up to protect your face as wall to the right of you exploded. jin sure did love his explosives. sejun, who had realised a little too late, was thrown to the floor and you screwed your eyes shut as small bits of rubble came your way.

“nice one jin!” a voice that you identified to be taehyung’s cheered as he and the makane stepped through the gaping hole that had been made in the dry wall. the two boys quickly brushed off their black, gucci suits to remove the rubble. the oldest boy, jin, let out a cocky thank you as the youngest members entered the warehouse, knocking out anyone who came their way. “noona!”

the boxed grinned boy smiled when he noticed you, practically forcing his way through the streams of mean who came his way. jungkook followed suit, snapping the neck of someone who had held a gun to him. “that’s what you get for laying your fucking hands on my noona.” the midnight haired boy cursed.

“really kook?, did you really have to kill him?” this time it was namjoon’s voice that flowed from the speakers. he was clearly unimpressed, never being one for violence and fighting. the youngest boy pouted, looking up at the ceiling as he effortlessly punched a guy in the face with the barrel of his gun.

“he hurt my noona...” he whined. your heart warmed, wriggling with anticipation as the pair made their way over to release you, but out of nowhere, sejun jumped up, quickly hollering for more men who begun to swamp the maknaes. you knew they would be okay, with their extensive training they knew how to work under pressure but you couldn’t help but worry.

unexpectedly, you felt yourself being hoisted from the chair you had once been bound to. they were moving your location. “get her out of here!” sim roared, his voice dripping with anger. his men rushed you to what looked like a garage and you assumed they were taking you to a bigger and more protected base.

what happened next, occurred too quickly for your brain to register. within an instant, you were tumbling to the ground, the two men that were carrying you and sejun following suit. you groaned in pain, rolling onto your back as your vision became clear and aligned again. the guards appeared to be dead, but the other gangster was too far away for you to tell.

“YN, you okay?” an orange haired figure asked, helping you to stand on one leg. you looked up with a hiss, locking eyes with a soft pair of brown hues and gentle grin.

“i’ll be okay, hoseok,” you reassured, trying your best not to put any pressure on your right leg. “thank you for shooting my thigh, yoongi.”

the pale blonde male ran up beside you with a lazy smirk, tucking his gun into its holster. “sorry LN, it was the only way i could get them without killing you.” you rolled your eyes at that. hoseok and yoongi were the best snipers you’d ever seen. they worked much better over longer distances compared to tae and kook, who were more experienced with hand to hand combat. “namjoon and jin are just outside with the car, it’s not a long walk but we need to move fast, before reinforcements come.”

you nodded, limping along as quickly as you could with hoseok’s support. your mind slipped into thoughts of jimin and he was or if he was even coming at all. the three of you moved past sejun, who still seemed to be unconscious and begun to make your way to the exit. you didn’t have much time to dwell on the thought of jimin, when you noticed a small red dot right at the centre of yoongi’s back. your eyes blew wide with realisation.“yoongi! get down!” you practically screamed, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him down just as a bullet whizzed past his head. yourself, hoseok and yoongi fell to the floor, not even giving the boys time to register the shooter.

the two older boys rushed to pick you up, letting out curses as they ran to the exit. your forced yourself forward, ignoring the searing pain in your right leg, only to have your friends collapse merely metres away from the exit. “for fucks sake,” you whined, trying to keep yourself sturdy as the two boys struggled to pick themselves up off the floor. sneakily, sejun had managed to gain on the three of you and tugged you into his chest, spinning you around.

“tranquilliser darts huh? god’s gift i say,” he teased, panting as blood poured from a wound in his shoulder. the gang leader gripped your wrist tightly, causing you to whimper. “you think you can escape? eh? you don’t get to leave until i get what i want.”

sim forced your arm behind your back, before switching out his weapon and pointing his gun at your two friends. “i should kill you both right here for the stunt you pulled earlier,” he threatened, before switching the gun to your head. “or maybe i’ll shoot her first.”

hoseok let out a bitter laugh, somehow managing to lift his head. you blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to spill. jimin, where are you? “i don’t think mr.park would like that very much, don’t you agree yoongs?”

“i think you’re right hobi,” the blonde chuckled in response, watching as sejun trembled with fear. whatever these boys were playing at, you’d make sure to kill them if you didn’t die first. “how long did you say he’d be?”

a breath of relief escaped your when lips when you felt your arm being released from the gang leader’s grip. you watched as your friends’ expression switched to grateful smiles as another arm snuck around your waist.this was a familiar and comforting embrace, different to the one that had you trapped before. you could feel jimin’s hot breath fan down the nape of your neck and instantly felt relieved.

  “he’s right on time.”

you looked down at the floor, to see sejun lying as a crippled mess to the right of hoseok and yoongi, his nimble fingers clutching his head from where Jimin had so mercilessly hit him. “o-oh, mr. park! how nice of you to join us.” he stumbled over his words as he tried to scoot away from the Mafia Leader.

your boyfriend is having none of that. instead, he cocked his gun.

“mr. sim i’m going to make it clear to you that i have no intentions of letting you live tonight.” the silver haired man begun, his usually honey brown eyes seeping into an intimidating shade of blackblackblack. “but before i kill you, i want to teach you a lesson. if you want to make a deal with me, all you have to do is ask...nicely.” jimin’s voice remained cool and even as he spoke, his expression stoic and icy, eliciting a sense of fear from even you.

“i had every intention of-“

the busan male let out a light ‘tsk’ a dark expression taking over his ethereal features as his arm tightened its grip on you. “i don’t think kidnapping and threatening to kill my girlfriend counts as being polite mr. sim, don’t you agree?” you shivered at every word that passed jimin’s pink plump lips, your heartbeat picking up with fear for the man before you. you hated this part. do you know what i do with men like you sejun?” your boyfriend asked, his voice dropping an octave as the man who had kidnapped you, shook his head. “usually, i take a man like you and break them down to their wits end. i take everything from them, their money, their men, their sanity. i toy with their minds, wreck them. i didn’t get to the top with sunshine and rainbows mr. sim, but you see,” jimin continued, letting go of your waist to hold your hand as he ducks down to the gangster’s level. his hand felt warm and comforting in yours, contrasting with his dark and mysterious persona as of now. “family is very important to me and i don’t tolerate anyone who lays a hand on them. with that in mind, you’ve just bought a one way ticket to your grave sir. no one touches my girlfriend and lives to tell the tale.”

“mr. park, jimin- please...have mercy!” the black haired man begged weakly, causing the mafia leader  to let out a deep hand menacing chuckle.

your boyfriend rises to a stand before taking you in his arms again. with a tilted head, he smiled down at sejun, flashing his pearly whites. do you know who i am? how i got here? to the top?” jimin asked cooly, causing you to bury your face in his chest. “i am park jimin, i show no mercy.”

a loud bang cut through the pleas of the man who had taken you and you know for sure that he’s dead. your silver haired lover leaves you for a brief second, moving to check on yoongi and hoseok who seem to have the effects of the tranquilliser wearing off. “jeongguk, how’s it looking in there?” he hollered over the coms, helping his orange haired friend into a sitting position. there’s a bit of static over the line before the maknae’s voice is filtered through.

“everything’s good on our end, reinforcements have just come in.”

“send someone in here, min and jung are down and YN is wounded, i need to get her back to namjoon.” jimin responded with a sigh, looking back at your shaken up form. there’s another pause and some more static before Jungkook replies.

“roger that hyung,” and then the coms turn silent.

almost instantaneously, jimin had returned to your side, pulling you into his chest as his hand found purchase in your hair. he ran hand up and down your back as he sensed your uneven breathing, before pulling away to look into your eyes. “i’m so sorry princess, i should’ve come for you sooner..” the silver haired male cooed, as you curl into his chest, his features are softer now, a concerned expression taking over. “but I’ve got you now, okay? you don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“i know, i’m okay now, jimin.” you leaned into his touch, wanting nothing more than his warm embrace. his hand cupped your cheek, a thumb rubbing over it’s bruised skin so softly that anyone would have found it hard to believe that he’d just killed a man. you can tell that he’s getting worked up and mad at himself about your injuries just by the way he holds you closer to his chest but you let your own hand cover his in order to comfort him. “’m okay baby. really. i love you.”

jimin smiled lightly at your words, pressing a tentative kiss to your lips as he did so. “i love you too princess, now let’s get you out of here.”

there’s a few types of silence when it comes to park jimin. the first, and probably most common is the one that makes the temperature of the room drop, oxygen seems to nonexistent and you can feel his eyes staring past you and right into your soul. that type of silence is what he uses when he tries to intimidate someone, is mad at his workers or is going to kill someone. the second type of silence is soothing and endearing, the type where his face is most relaxed and he looks like a peaceful angel. You often had those moments when it was just the two of you, enjoying each other’s company, without a care in the world.

the others could explained but the last one was the most unwanted and dangerous. this silence was the type jimin would give, where he was red hot pissed. anything, anyone said or did could have them ending up in a ditch or a pool of their own blood, in the next country over without notice. but of course, jimin wouldn’t dare threaten you, even he knew better than that.

however; that was the silence that you were forced to deal with on the way home. after everything was cleared up, jimin had namjoon remove the bullet from your leg and bandage it up onsite since you couldn’t go to a public hospital without raising major questions. the light cut on your neck would be dealt with when you’d all returned to headquarters. undoubtedly, you wouldn’t be returning to your studio flat anytime soon and you were almost certain that your boyfriend had sent someone to remove your belongings.

but what you couldn’t figure out, for the life of you, as seokjin and joon drove you back to jimin’s mansion, was why your boyfriend was so pissed. it’s not like you had done anything, you didn’t ask to be kidnapped, yet with the dark and fowl look on the silver haired man’s face, you wouldn’t dare question him. Instead you chose to lean your bruised head on the cool, tinted glass of the chrysler and watch the rain drops fall from the top of the window, down to the bottom as they merged with others to form one whole.

your tired gaze flickered away from the window for a brief second to watch the mafia leader, his silver locks glimmering under the fluorescent back light. his mahogany hues are focused on his phone screen, and you decide that he’s probably making arrangements for his men to track down the larger unit. “jimin,” you sighed, sitting up slightly as you peeled your hot skin away from the cool leather seats. “are you mad at me?” he grunted in response, body joling with the noise as he barley bothered to send you a glance. “would you at least look at me?”

his eyes remain trained on the sleek black device that rested in his large palm. jimin clicked the top button to lock his phone, before glancing out of the window on his side of the car. you frowned. you didn’t understand his sudden change of mood, he had been so tentative and caring when he’d found you but now he was shutting down on you. “fine, don’t say anything and just shut me out like you always do,” you growled, clearly annoyed. you could feel the tension growing within the compact car and was sure joonie and jin could feel it too. they even rolled up the partisan. “asshole-“

“how many more times do you need to be kidnapped for you to realise you’re not safe on your own?” the leader questioned, his gaze finally falling on your perked up form. his stance was stoic, as his face expressionless and his attitude only sparked annoyance within you.

“excuse me?”

he rolled his eyes, still maintaining a straight face. “your home has been compromised several times in the past three months and you still won’t move in with me,” jimin started, clicking his jaw. “you live across town and won’t even let me assign you a body guard, i can’t protect you from where i am and yet you still choose to live where you are.”

your eyes blow wider at each word that passes from the busan native’s plump pink lips and you can’t believe what he’s saying. “so that’s what this is about?” you countered, the flame of fury igniting in your chest. “i just got kidnapped, again and you’re mad at me for not wanting to live with you? seriously Jimin?”

“exactly.” jimin growled in response, his anger increasing. “this hasn’t just happened once, it’s happened twice, thrice times! if low level criminals can break into your home, imagine what other mafia units could do. is it going to take a near death experience for you to move in with me? i won’t always be there to protect you-“

“would it kill you to just shut up about that?” you cut your boyfriend off with a violent yell, slapping your hands down on the seats beside you. jimin’s dark eyes widen as shock takes residence on his usually angelic features. “it’s not up to you to decide when i do or do not need protection, i’m a grown fucking woman park jimin.”

you could tell by the way he looked at you that he was surprised at your out burst. “so what?” he continued on, as if you hadn’t spoken at all, eyes narrowing, yet he still managed to maintain an even voice. “I’m supposed to sit back and relax every time someone whisks you away from under my nose?“

you didn’t need this right now, a lecture. you were an adult and not a child that was someone else’s responsibility. “this isn’t all about you jimin! you make it out as if i want to get taken from my home.”

“i don’t know, maybe you do!” his voice is raised this time, and he never raises his voice, especially when it’s directed towards you. “i cant keep wasting time and resources every time your ass decides to go missing!”

“well maybe i wouldn’t always go missing if you weren’t the leader of a fucking mafia!” you screeched back as the car comes to a sudden halt. the vehicle is filled with heavy panting as you and jimin stare each other down, his expression seems crestfallen as he tears his gaze away from you. hurt swirling in his dark orbs. you’d hit a nerve, you knew you had and you didn’t have a right to go there. jimin had never asked to take over the mafia so young, his father being killed in one of those street wars. your boyfriend had never even had the opportunity to go to university like yourself, taehyung or kook...having become leader at just eighteen.

the beating rain on the roof of the bulletproof car and the constant click of the indication filled the awkward space between the words you were trying to string together. “uh, jimin” seokjin whispered cautiously through the divide. “we’re here” the notorious mafia leader is the first to exit, stepping out into the pouring rain without so much as a second glance. you followed soon after, desperate to apologise to him, not even caring if you got soaked to the bone. the other boys jumped out of their cars not long after you, watching as jimin burst through the mansion’s doors.

“what’s his deal?” yoongi groaned monotonously, still recovering from the tranquilliser dart. the two eldest members, chose not to respond, having heard the whole conversation and suggest that everyone goes inside before they catch a cold. for about an hour everyone remained in the common room, laughing along as taehyung and jungkook fought a lengthy battle in overwatch. usually, you would have enjoyed watching the two maknae kick each other’s asses but the image of jimin’s heartbroken face had been preoccupying your thoughts. hoseok was quick to offer you a change of clothes from the wet ones you had worn earlier but you’d decided to call it a night anyways, gently rejecting his offer. despite the boys’ protests.

you crept up the stairs to the top floor where Jimin was; nerves expanding in your chest and settling in your rib cage. chewing your bottom lip, you pushed open the door to his master bedroom, only pausing slightly in the doorway to make sure the door closed quietly. jimin’s room was your favourite rooms in the whole of the mansion. It’s white and cream interior contrasting dramatically with the blood red and obsidian black colours that usually decorated the place. each item of furniture that dotted the room was sleek and glossy, flashes of gray peaking out in certain places. a king sized bed draped in the finest silks and egyptian cotton was pressed; folded over the side.

“YN,” his voice smooth like silk, lustrous and powerful, keeping you glued to your spot at the doorway. his moon silver locks glistened under the natural light of the window as he emerged from his walk in closet, linen shirt loose around his broad shoulders. you could see the muscles of his toned stomach ripple as he moved across the room, to sit on his bed and you gulped, trying to keep your mouth from watering. the mafia leader let the corners of his lips twitch up into a smirk, a small ‘hmph’ passing from their confines. you frowned at his cockiness, rolling your shoulders as you slipped a firm scowl onto your features. you were going to beat park jimin at his own game. “’m mad at you,” were the first words to leave his plump lips and you had to refrain from letting out an exasperated gasp. your boyfriend was a literal child but you were partly in the wrong. sucking it up, you took a step into the room, feeling his cool gaze settle over your form. hating how he was amused by your nerves, you crossed your arms over your chest and held your head high, a frown falling over your lips. you weren’t going to let yourself be intimidated by him. “you said some pretty hurtful things back there, YN.”

you winced, jimin rarely ever used your real name, opting for nicknames instead. he was definitely upset. “baby...” you started, grasping your lover’s attention. he tilted his head with a look of innocence; as if you hadn’t just had a fight. as if he hadn’t killed a man. ���i know what i said was uncalled for... you didn’t ask for this life but what you said back there hurt me too jimin.” the silver haired man dropped his gaze to the floor but that didn’t stop you from continuing. “i don’t ask to be kidnapped , i don’t ask to be taken from my home but you make it out to seem like i do and that’s not fair. we both owe each other an apology for that.”

a silence drifts between the pair of you as you watch Jimin purse his lips and clench and unclench his fists. you know he’s looking for the right words, he’s never been good with emotions. “you’re right, I’m sorry,” he whispered softly, after sometime. you sigh in relief at his words, feeling your shoulders drop as if they’d been carrying a large weight. “you know i never want to hurt you but some things that i said, i meant it.”

you know that he was talking about you moving in but you ignore the comment as you rush towards him and wrap your arms around him in a tight embrace. not even a second passed before Jimin had tugged you further into his exposed chest, burying his face in your hair. he may not have been good with his talking but he could express all his emotions through a simple gesture. he was definitely sorry. pulling away, jimin locked his gaze on you, leaning in ever so slowly to press his lips to yours. you couldn’t help but subconsciously let your hand trail up his shoulders and neck before finding purchase on the edge of his jaw, forcing his lips to meet yours.

he kissed you with such raw passion but it wasn’t lustful, full of love and worry. his lips mouthed over your pink ones softly, bruising them ever so lightly as his tongue explored the cavern of your mouth. the mafia leader’s nimble fingers trailed down to your waist, pushing you against his hips as he walked you further back into the bathroom door. you gasped when your back hit the rough surface, and it took all your might to rip yourself away from your boyfriend’s lip lock. as much as you loved him, you weren’t going to go any further just after a fight. “j-jimin” you heaved, through light pants, your smaller hands curling into fists within the depths of his moonlight kissed locks. the man didn’t stop, opting to mouth at your neck wetly, instead. “jimin...i am not hav-having sex with you right now.”

said male pulled away from you with a smirk, his hand leaving your hip to reach for the door handle. “i know, I just wanted to get you to the bathroom,” he whispered teasingly, pushing open the door and stepping into his en suit bathroom. your eyes blow wide, slightly flustered at the moon haired man’s antics before you step inside after him.

the room is tiled with cream marble, a smooth, white ceramic bath tub residing in the centre. everything is accented with white, it’s shining under the bright fluorescent lights. as soon as you enter, the sweet smell of vanilla fills your nostrils along with a dash of roses. you can tell instantly that it’s your favourite shower gel, since you always kept a bottle of it at jimin’s. the bath is filled to the brim with bubbles and is dusted with baby pink rose petals, you could tell that your boyfriend had been preparing the bath for a while, as if he knew you would cave and apologise first. thick, rose water scented candles flickered as jimin moved to remove the rest of his clothes, his eyes flashing up to yours when he noticed you were still standing in the doorway. “this is what we’re gonna do instead of having sex,” he teased with a cheeky smile, his eyes forming creases at the edges. “now are you gonna get in? or am i going to have to enjoy this bath all to myself?”

“what? am i really that undesirable?” you laugh back with a pout, moving to shrug off your shirt. you slip it over your head, only to reveal an almost sinful sight. your boyfriend had just lowered himself into the tub, his head hanging over the edge with a pleased look on his face as the hot water eased his tense muscles. his silvery hair was plastered to his forehead because of the humidity and his lips were ever so slightly parted.

“hurry up, little girl, or i might have to come over there and undress you myself.” jimin murmured, and although he meant it as a lighthearted joke, you could tell he was getting impatient. you made quick work of tearing off the small remainder of your clothes before tiptoeing over to the bath tub. you sunk in, facing opposite to jimin and let out a small moan as the heated water lapped at your bruised skin. the man peaked open a dark eye, smiling at you gently. “c’mere” he mumbled sweetly, making grabby hands at you causing you to shake  your head fondly as you swam over to him.

the normally ruthless (but now soft) man turned you over, so that your bare and soapy back rested against his hard chest and that the rest of your body was slotted perfectly between his legs. his soft hands wrapped around your waist as you leaned back into him, whimpering softly when he pressed a kiss to your damp shoulder. itt was a sweet moment, filled with a comforting silence and it made you grateful for small moments like this; where you weren’t worrying about jimin’s safety or your own. where you could just enjoy each other, and be close with one another. your soft hues fluttered shut, as you listened out for the sounds of jimin’s breathing, savouring the feeling of his skin against yours.

“why won’t you move in with me?” he asked gently, his voice barely above a whisper. you could tell he was feeling vulnerable, from the tone of his voice and the way he forced his head into the junction between your neck and shoulder. he pressed a small kiss there and you sighed contentedly, not even opening an eye.

the male whined slightly causing you to exhale through your nose, deeply. “jimin...” you tried to fend him off, not wanting to talk about the topic at hand and instead wanting to enjoy his presence. yet, you knew he wouldn’t let the subject drop. it needed to be discussed, but why were you so afraid to do so?

“please YN,” he begged lightly. “just tell me so I can protect you better this time..”

chewing your bottom lip with nerves, you screwed your eyes shut and clamped your hand over Jimin’s . “it’s because of him...” you explained quietly, hating the way your boyfriend’s body tensed at mentions of your ex. before you’d met jimin, you had been in a serious long term relationship with your childhood friend. you had moved in together during your final years of college and had started thinking about creating a future together. that image was soon shattered when you’d come home to find him with another woman. your ex had literally kicked you to the curb, leaving you without a place to stay. this was when you had met jimin, he offered you a place to stay as a friend and feelings caused your friendship to develop into something more.

your ex was the reason you were afraid to move in with Jimin, you were afraid of becoming to dependant on someone else again.

“i just don’t want to have to rely on someone again,” you whimpered, not realising that your voice had become hoarse from your light crying. you felt jimin pull you closer, as if he was trying to protect you from something and you found yourself easing into his touch.

he let out a heavy exhale. “ i know what he did to you, hurt you baby.” jimin started softly, whispering sweetly into your ear. “you know i would never treat you like that but you have to know, that’s it’s okay to be the slightest bit reliant on someone, at times. sometimes it’s good to have a person to fall back on. I’m that person for you.”

“i-“ you tried, but the words seemed to catch in your throat. Instead of speaking, you chose to let your gaze drop to your pruning fingers in the scented water.

“YN do you love me?” kimin asked quietly, taking your hand in his own.

“more than anything,” came your reply, which was almost instantaneous. jimin grinned against your back, squeezing your hand lightly before his next question.

  “do you trust me?”

“with my life.”

there was a pause, and a moment where your lover pulled away from your exposed skin, leaving you slightly cold despite being half submerged in hot water. “then move in with me?” he pushed the statement out into the open, humid air and you froze. you knew it was more of a question, a suggestion if you will but to you, it felt like a statement. that’s what you wanted it to be. what reason did you have, to not move in with jimin? you trusted him with every ounce of your being and loved him in the same manner. your boyfriend with the sliver of the moon weaved into his fluffy locks always made your happiness and safety his priority, he loved you, he protected you. so what was holding you back?

“yes.”

“wait what?”

you turned to face Jimin in the water, your slightly pruned fingers sliding up to cup his damp and lightly sweating face. you let your eyes fall over his with a hooded gaze, allowing yourself to take note of his unfairly pretty molten chocolate eyes and how their colour shifted under the room’s lighting. you could feel his warm breath fanning over the bow of his lips as you positioned yourself in his lap, his palm securing you by your waist. “yes...” you exclaimed with a whisper. “i’ll move in with you.”

and not a second later did jimin capture your lips, in an ecstatic and searing kiss.

despite trying to hold out on jimin, you had spent the remaining hours of the night worshiping and loving one another’s bodies. now, you found yourself tangled in silk sheets and buried within one of jimin’s larger cotton shirts, his familiar scent helping you drift into a peaceful slumber.

the busan native, quietly closed the bathroom door behind him; having just come out of the shower. he watched you with fond eyes as your chest rose up and down, mimicking the patterns of sleep. no matter how hard he tried, there were never enough words to describe how much he loved you, how much he yearned to protect you from the dangers that lay outside of his- now your shared- home.

sitting on the edge of the bed, jimin let his hand trail over the outline of your supple cheek, and he smiled when you mumbled something in your sleep before rolling over. running a hand through his dampened locks, the mafia leader chuckled lightly before taking his watch from the pocket of his sweatpants and opening his bedside draw to tuck it away.

a dark blue, velvet box in the corner caught his eye and a tentative hand reached towards it to remove it from the draw. opening the box, jimin beamed to himself when its contents were revealed, a diamond sat glistening in all its glory under the light of the stars from its position on a ring. an engagement ring.

to jimin, you were his everything. you kept him going when times had been rough, gave him a reason to wake up every morning when the responsibility of mafia leader had become to much. he would give everything he owned to see you smile because you were his home. his safe place. his sanctuary.

and he wanted to be your sanctuary for as long as you’d let him.

[ithappenedinadreamcomic-blog]

It Happened in a Dream! Part 2: Senpai Noticed (Finally)

Keywords: emo soldiers, the manic pixie dream girl trope, Star Wars, Star Trek references, shenanigans

Genre: Crack fiction, Comedy, Original Story, Original Characters in Canon Universe

Characters: Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, General Hux, Supreme Leader Snoke, OCs

Rating: PG to PG-13

Trigger Warnings: Cursing, violence sometimes, sexual innuendos

Captain Phasma gave Melanie the option to return to her quarters to “freshen up” before reconvening for lunch. Phasma may have suggested as such because Melanie was not dressed to impress anyone, in her t-shirt and worn-out jeans (particularly not higher-ranking officials like Commander Kylo Ren), regardless of their being authentically Terran. Melanie took the hint and returned to her room to change.

Rather than deck herself out in her finest Elegant Gothic Lolita frillies, however, she opted for an even worse outfit choice. If the First Order thought they could control Melanie's behavior in any way, they had another thing coming. Somehow Melanie had escaped a Trump presidency, but she was not about to bow to another fascist government in his absence!

Melanie selected an oversized purple sweater with a giant cat face patch plastered to the front, a pleated skirt colored with a pink and purple space pattern, ripped and faded pink leggings, and black combat boots. She put on her best 90s accessories, mussed her curly auburn hair with a spritz of hairspray, and forwent makeup entirely.

“Whoa, gurl, you a hottie,” she said to the mirror, shooting finger guns at herself, and departed for the mess hall.

A pair of Stormtroopers passed Melanie punch-dancing down the hallway, and glanced to one another in confusion. Melanie Vasquez was sure to make some lucky scientist's research dissertation, hands down, a bestseller. In the end, it took Melanie about fifteen minutes of aimless wander-dancing to find the mess hell.

“What'd I miss?” she asked Frank, scooting her butt onto the surface of a table rather than sitting in a chair like a proper Terran lady.

Frank sighed. “Melanie, you are quite late. We are lucky that Commander Ren has not yet arrived, or you would have gotten all of us in trouble.”

“Relax, Darth Prozac isn't going to get mad. Trust me.”

“Who?”

“You know, Villain McNiceHair.”

Frank stared blankly.

Melanie snorted. “C'mon, Frank. You just mentioned him. Commander Ren.”

“That is not my name,” Frank stated. “Melanie, in all seriousness, you cannot call Commander Ren such names. You cannot. We have political immunity for the most part, yes, but if you truly offend him, it will all be for naught. He can easily ask for your head.”

“Oh, he can have a whole lot more than my head,” Melanie said.

“Excuse me?”

“What? I didn't say anything.”

As if on cue, Captain Phasma sidled up to the seated Terran and the perplexed Ethereum hovering next to her. “I have just received word that Commander Ren is on his way. He should be here in a couple of minutes. Prepare yourselves for a brief introduction upon his arrival.”

“Haha, brief,” Melanie laughed.

Captain Phasma raised her eyebrow.

“So, Captain Helmet, tell me a little about yourself,” Melanie said. “Have you been working for the Order long?”

“I grew up in the Order,” Phasma said, ignoring Melanie's new nickname for her.

Melanie considered asking if she had been abducted from Coruscant as a child, but thought better of it. She nodded instead.

“Captain Phasma is a very decorated officer,” Frank said, “She is third in command, under General Hux and Commander Ren.”

“Right, that is an accomplishment,” Melanie said with a grin. “You go, girl.”

Phasma appeared to be on the verge of smirking, but she battled with the angle of her mouth in an effort to maintain neutrality. Perhaps she often wore a helmet because she was more emotionally expressive than Armitage Hux or Kylo Ren, and as such, was far less immune to Melanie's antics. That, or she could hide her biological sex under the silver armor and flashy cape.

“I hear that you are a chemical engineer on your planet, Ms. Vasquez,” Phasma said. “You must be intelligent...For a Terran.”

“Ouch, so close to a compliment,” Mel laughed. “I guess I have to try harder if we're going to be friends.”

Phasma blinked. “Friends?”

“Well, obviously. I'm going to need friends if I'm going to be in Sky River for a while.” Melanie smiled  brightly at the Amazonian soldier, who was taller than her even while sitting on a high table.

“I am not sure if that is...allowed.”

“It will be.”

“Oh?” was Phasma's simple response. And she did not have time to add to it, as the metallic doors to the mess hall slid ajar.

Melanie's heart skipped a beat, but she did not glance over her shoulder to see who entered the room. She already knew. The game had started at last. It was happening. Oh Emperor Palpatine, it was finally happening!

Captain Phasma straightened and saluted with one hand. Her other hand clasped her helmet to her side. “Commander Ren, welcome.”

No response. But Melanie heard the rustle of fabric moving up from behind her. She sat awkwardly still and rigid, but her lips split into an enormous grin. As Commander Ren approached, she felt the tendrils of an invisible force prodding her mind suddenly. Or, more accurately, the Force. It was a bizarre sensation. Midichlorians were not a part of her biology because the Force did not exist in the Milky Way, so she wondered how it was possible for her to feel it at all.

“Captain Phasma.”

Melanie shivered. She glanced furtively to her right, amber eyes falling to Kylo Ren's dark boots, and looked away. So close. It took all of her willpower to keep her mind from plunging straight into her fantasies and revealing everything. Instead, Melanie considered manatees. What is it like to hug a manatee? Also, do fish dream? Did thoughts linger behind their cold, dead eyes?

Kylo Ren bristled at the sight of Frank. Frank appeared none too pleased as well.

“Faseemke'Sahndhran,” Kylo Ren's robotic voice said. “It has been a while.”

Frank's wispy head inclined. “Commander Ren. I hope you are well.”

“I am sorry to make you wait. I have just returned from a mission,” said Ren. There was a drawn out, pensive silence. “Is this the Terran?”

Every nerve of Melanie's body sang triumphantly.

“Yes. Subject #347. She arrived here three months ago, and we have been preparing for her debut ever since.”

“Hm.”

Melanie bit down a smile, keeping her eyes firmly glued to the ground. What about jellyfish? They didn't have brains. Did they think?

“Melanie, please introduce yourself to Commander Ren.” Frank's voice wavered. He sounded nervous.

Captain Phasma tilted her head, regarding the frozen Melanie. “It is possible she is frightened by the mask,” she offered.

Kylo Ren hesitated, but a mechanic hiss a few moments later alerted Melanie to his decision.

“What is your name, Terran?” asked Kylo's deep, humanoid voice.

Melanie summoned up her courage, and stared straight into Kylo Ren's ultra-broody, yet glorious face.

He was incredibly pale, and extremely handsome despite his too-big noise and various moles dotting his skin. His thick brow was furrowed at her, forehead wrinkled deep with thought, or maybe frustration. And God, his hair. He had sultry, ebony waves of hair down to the base of his neck. He met her gaze with coal-black eyes, and held it with an effortless, immense power. Melanie nearly swooned clear off of the table. She immediately snapped her thoughts away from his appearance and to... Eels! Weren't eels technically snakes?

“Melanie...” Frank nudged Melanie's shoulder with an airy arm. “Please answer Commander Ren.”

“Melanie Vasquez,” she said abruptly. “My name is Melanie Vasquez.”

Melanie tried to remind herself that none of this was real. As hot as Kylo Ren seemed, he was only a figment of her imagination. It was just her coma fantasy, trying to indulge her with fan service.

“Melanie Vasquez,” Kylo repeated. He kept staring--no, glaring--at her. And God, was he tall. Taller than Phasma by a couple of inches, at least. Melanie was only, like, 5'3”!

“Call me 'Mel',” she said. She suddenly grinned.

Frank was clearly taken aback by the drastic change in Melanie's behavior. He tried to carry the conversation further. “Do you have any questions for Melanie, Commander Ren?”

“Has she been questioned?” Kylo asked, turning to Phasma. She nodded.

“Then, no. I have other matters to attend to. After I eat, I will be on my way.”

“What do you like to eat, Kylo?” Melanie asked.

Kylo Ren did a double take of Mel. He frowned.

“Please ignore her, Commander Ren!” Frank pleaded, floating in front of Melanie and raising his ghostly arms in alarm. “Terrans are very chatty, and her, especially so. I admit, it can be obnoxious! Go eat, please. Pay her no mind.”

“No,” Mel said. She crossed her arms like a petulant child. “I want to talk to him.”

“Subject #347, stop. Commander Ren is very busy. He does not have time to entertain you.”

“Yes he does.”

“Melanie!”

Kylo Ren held up a gloved hand abruptly to silence Frank.

“What?” he asked, fixing her with his dark eyes once again. “What is it that you wish to say?”

Melanie Vasquez immediately broke into song. She held her arms out on either side as she raised her voice. Everyone in the mess hall stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the impromptu Terran songbird.

She was not particularly good at singing, either.

“Hey little mooonster, I got my eye on yoouuuu~

Where are you gooooing, where are you running toooo?

I got love on my fiiingers, and lust on my tooongue!

You say you've got nooothing, so come out and get soo~oome.

Heartache to heartache, I'm your wolf, your woman!

I say run, little mooonster, before you know who I am!”

Phasma and Kylo Ren's jaws both dropped, even as the song continued Frank's would have, too, if he'd had one. This crazy Terran was actually serenading Commander Ren!

When Melanie finally finished, Kylo Ren said nothing. The astounded onlookers noted that it was the first time they had ever seen their commander rendered speechless.

Melanie took advantage of Kylo Ren's muteness and pointed her index finger directly in his face. He flinched back an inch, but otherwise remained dumbfounded.

“KYLO REN, I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!” Melanie yelled. “AND THAT'S WHY I, MELANIE VASQUEZ OF THE PLANET EARTH, CHALLENGE YOU--”

The entire room gasped.

“--TO SURVIVE ONE ROMANTIC DATE WITH ME!”

The room gasped louder.

Captain Phasma stared blankly, shell shocked. Frank, despite having any facial features whatsoever, appeared to be on the brink of fainting. The other Ethereum some tables away huddled closer, whispering among themselves. Every other soldier and First Order official in the mess hall could not seem to decide whether to laugh or cry. No one, Terran or other, had ever openly flirted with their genocidal commander before.

Was this a moment for the Sky River history books?

Maybe. Maybe!

Kylo Ren's eyelids fluttered in confusion.

Oh, no! Had the Terran successfully broken him?!!

“I....I do not understand,” he said finally.

First this 'Melanie Vasquez' had sung nonsense to him, and now she was...Asking to court him? What?

“Just think about it,” Melanie said, “I mean, I'm only the least threatening person in this room! It's not like you have anything to lose!”

Kylo Ren staggered back a couple of steps. His right hand flew to his forehead. He rubbed his temples, trying to formulate a response. He had been challenged many times before, but this? This was different. What were her intentions? Should he attempt to probe her mind with the Force again? He had only seen absurd images and content there so far, but surely there was something logical underneath all that!

Commander Ren had been quiet too long. He had to say something. Anything. And so he attacked the first flaw that came to mind: her appearance. Tacky, whimsically-colored clothing, frumpy animal tunic. Unladylike posture, sitting disrespectfully on a First Order table. Short stature, pudgy build. Sunken, tired eyes. No makeup. Unkempt, boyish hairstyle. Somewhat adorable—wait, what?! No!

“...And you challenge me to this...'Date'...While dressed like that? How dare--”

“Hey, it's better than what I was wearing yesterday!” Melanie said.

Kylo Ren paused. He lowered his hand.

“...What were you wearing yesterday?”

“A tiger onesie.”

Kylo Ren narrowed his eyes.

“What is...a 'tiger onsie'?”

“Oh, it's a jumpsuit you wear while sleeping, shaped like a cute animal from my planet!”

'…What?'

Frank immediately blocked Melanie from Kylo Ren's sight. He addressed her frantically.

“Subject #347, I believe we have overstayed our welcome. We should return to our research vessel now. Besides, you need to rest! Today must have been an ordeal for you.”

“Ugh, really?” Mel asked. “Boooooriiiinnnng. Ohhkaaayy... If I must.” She glanced towards the fourth wall and winked.

Melanie hopped off the table and made a show of dusting herself off. “Well, Darth Prozac, it's been real. We will meet again, since I need to get that answer from you soon.” She headed for the exit with Frank and a cluster of worried Ethereum on her tail.

“W-Wait a minute,” Kylo Ren called after them, in a voice too weak to be heard.

And with that, Melanie Vasquez and her alien entourage was gone, leaving everyone in the room to wonder what had just happened...Including Commander Kylo Ren.