#working until he passes out and this allows them to hang out while they force him to have downtime with them to keep him from exploding

[arolesbianism]

Thinking abt my dupe ocs again... Maybe Quinn does have hashtag issues actually

[sukirichi]

𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒. Zayne blamed it on that cursed hippocratic oath that always made him come to your beck and call. But one look at your smiling — although bloodied — face, he realizes he doesn’t mind being your personal doctor. 

𐙚 — Doctor! Zayne x Gangster! Reader

𐙚 — NSFW, MINORS DNI. public sex, dirty talk, oral sex (male receiving), descriptive smut, explicit sex, curse words, deep throating, unprotected sex, sleepy morning sex, fluff, smut, fucking while the reader is recovering from an injury, unrealistic ending LMAO, minimal angst, violence, attempted murder. 13k WC

𐙚 — this is my first lads work please do not judge me AGHSJKA. divider from @/cafekitsune

You’d been in this state before.

It wasn’t anything new, really, and yet the pain never got any more bearable. Each shot always felt like the first one, and you clenched your teeth hard to keep yourself from passing out in the hallway. It was dark, thanks to the old lights that flickered on and off, and you were sure that if someone saw you in this state, they would probably run away. You can’t blame them, because you were pretty banged up.

Heaving a deep breath from your lungs, you leant against the wall, careful not to leave any bloodstains as ragged breaths escaped your mouth. You shuddered from the pain. Your hand was already clutching your wounded shoulder, putting pressure to stabilize the blood oozing out from the wound while your other arm was wrapped around your waist where two bullets had perfectly been shot at you. Your vision had started to become blurry by now, and your knees were growing weaker with each passing second, but his door was just there. Just a few more steps until you found the comfort you so desperately sought out.

With a groan, you pushed yourself away from the wall and wobbled to his front door, letting out a whimper when you realized he kept the door locked. Of course. Plucking out a few hairpins from the back of your head, you twisted it into his doorknob before sighing in relief as the lock opened with a click. You fell almost face first to the floor, your weight becoming harder and harder for you to carry until your legs finally gave in, and you fell on the ground with a loud ‘thud.’ You whimpered in pain, chest heaving up and down in discomfort as your shaking fingers pried the material of your tank top away from the wound. Frowning when you saw the white cotton had been stained completely red.

“Who’s there?” A soft voice asked just as the lights flickered open, making you wince in your spot. “Oh, God. Are you okay?”

He scurried to your almost passed out form, his dark hair coming into view as his huge eyes stared back at you. You noticed his hands were hanging awkwardly in the air as if unsure to touch you, and you felt a little bad when you saw he was still in his doctor’s coat. He had probably just gotten home after a hellish shift at the hospital, and you ruined the little amount of sleep he allowed himself to have.

You forced a smile on your face as your hands reached up to brush the hair away from his eyes, the action leaving a blood stain on its way. “Hey, sweetheart. Did you miss me?”

“You’re seriously crazy,” was all he said before his strong arms wrapped around you securely, making you groan as he scooped you up, your head lolling into his chest before you curled yourself into a ball. You felt the warmth of his leather couch hitting your bare legs, thanks to your ripped denim shorts before he disappeared from your side. A sound of several medical equipment clanked through the tense silence, and soon enough Zayne appeared in your line of sight once more. His hand gently helped you to prop your head on the pillow, a frown painting his soft features as the sound of medical gloves stretching hit your ears.

He didn’t look too happy.

“Two months. You’ve been gone for two months without even a phone call or a simple text to tell me how you’re doing, and now you come back all beaten up?” He shook his head, passing you a bottle of alcohol and a towel to bite on before lifting your shirt up. “You’re seriously going to be the death of me.”

Well, you knew you weren’t exactly deserving of a warm welcome, but that didn’t stop you from feeling bad anyway.

Zayne sighed, showing you what seemed to be sterilized medical tweezers and a kidney shaped looking metal bin placed on the coffee table. “This is gonna hurt. I don’t have anesthetics.”

“Just get it over with.”

He nodded, although a look of hesitation crossed him before he peeled your shirt away from your skin. A pained and hesitant grimace was sent your way as he assessed the damage, and you assured him you’d be fine. This wasn’t the first time he’d taken care of your injuries, but that didn’t make it less painful for the both of you. For you, it was just physical torture all throughout, and your eyes seared with hot tears that threatened to fall as you remembered your most recent stab wound. Zayne had been the one to take care of it as well, and you felt a little guilty that the only times – well, most of the times, anyway – that you spent at his apartment consisted of him tending to your wounds. And fucking. Lots of fucking.

Now that you thought about it, it’s been too long since you saw Zayne, and the sight of him biting his lip in concentration as he pulled the bullets out was enough to turn you on.

Dark bags were under his eyes, eyes lidded heavily and his little button nose scrunched up a little at the stench of blood. In your own dazed haze of admiring his beauty and all his little quirks you’ve learned through two years of knowing him, you momentarily forgot the heated pain you were in through until he counted down from one to three. He pulled the bullet out, making you bite down on the towel placed in between your teeth.

“I know, I’m sorry. Just one more and we’re good.” He cooed, his soothing voice contrasting well with the pained whimpers that left your throat. While he was busy placing the bullet onto the metal bin, you spat out the towel and drank the beer in one go, feeling the burn of it sting your throat. Zayne was looking at you worriedly, but you nodded at him encouragingly to keep going. 

“I’ll be fine.” You dismissed with a wave of your hand.

You were propped up on your elbows as he sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time of that night. His hands were cool against your heated skin, eyes locked on yours as his fingers moved to slide the straps of your tank top down ever so slowly that made you hitch your breath. He’d just finished with taking out the bullets from your waist, and now he was staring intently at the blood that flowed from your collarbones to the swell of your breasts. You swallowed.

His fingers – those same fingers that had the skill of fucking you into another realm and saving lives of people – worked skillfully into plucking the bullet out. Zayne’s other hand was placed on your good arm gently for leverage while his minty breath fanned against your face. You shuddered as you realized you were caged inside his arms. His face was so close to yours that you were sure you could count his eyelashes.

You trailed your gaze lower from his eyes to his thin lips, the ones that you learned kissed softly and passionately in contrast to how rough he was in bed, and only then did you realize how much you’d missed him.

“I love it when you’re on top of me.” You purred, a strangled and yet erotic moan leaving your lips as he successfully took the bullet out. 

Zayne coughed.

“You are shameless,” He murmured with a shake of his head, feeling incredulous as he patched bandages on your wound. You stared at him with a smirk on your face. “You barge in at what, two in the morning, all beaten up and you flirt with me? Didn’t anyone tell you not to distract a professional from his duties?” 

“Can you blame me when you look so fucking hot when you’re concentrated?” You whispered huskily, your lips brushing against the shell of his ear before you pulled away. He was staring at you wide eyed, “Consider it as payment since you’ve been inside me so many times.” 

Zayne was now blushing madly as he leaned away to get more bandages from his first aid kit. “Oh my god – are you serious? That isn’t the same... You know what, just keep your mouth shut. Let me do what I need to do. You’re being way too weird right now.” 

You grinned, making sure he saw how much of a teasing shit you were. “I know, and you love me anyway.”

Your deal had gone perfectly well that Jenna had rewarded you handsomely. The weight you’ve been carrying for days had now been lifted off, and you were finally free from the anxiety of fucking it up. It wasn’t your first deal per se, but it was perhaps the most critical assignment she’d ever sent you on. You remembered not being able to sleep for days as you calculated the ins and outs of it. Although Jenna had assured you all you needed to do was trade the goods with them at the port and it was all over, the worry hadn’t eased one bit. Sylus was infamous for leading a drug cartel after he killed his own father to precede him, so it was only natural you felt scared you would meet the man himself. Alone.

But… he was actually alright. He went straight to business and didn’t dilly dally further, and once he was sure your goods were fresh and genuine, he gave the promised money and left without a word. You came back to Jenna with a satisfied smirk, and now you were on your way to this bar that seemed a little too vanilla for your liking. The blinking light of the bar sign was red and neon, and you scoffed as it read Pleasure Cave. 

Seriously?

This looked more like a brothel than a bar, and you eyed the girls in skimpy outfits and blood red lipsticks waiting in line with distaste present on your face. No wonder Nero recommended this place. He was never after the drinks, he was after the girls. Well, you couldn’t blame him. Living in shabby apartments and doing underground work wasn’t entirely fancy, plus being a full time gang member didn’t allow him to spend as much time with girls as he would like. Well, whatever, you were here for the drinks. 

Now that the deal was done and over with, you were going to get absolutely wasted. 

Passing by the hundred people waiting in line, you smiled cheekily as the six foot tall and perhaps three hundred pounds of steroid bouncer glowered at you. “Get in line, sweet cheeks.”

“I don’t think I need to.” Pulling down your shirt a little to reveal the tattoo on your collar bones, the bouncer glared at it before he stood back up with recognition. He said something through the crackled intercom of his walkie talkie. There was a pause, then the doors opened with a heavy creak, the thumping bass of the loud music inside faintly heard. Now that worked well. You grinned wider, stepping on your tippy toes to press a sloppy kiss on his cheeks. “Thank you, angel.”

“Anytime, Ma���am.”

You stepped inside, feeling the cold breeze of the air conditioner nipping at your skin, and you were in a state of elation. Releasing a sigh, you maneuvered through the crowd and plopped on the bar stool, smiling confidently at the bartender before ordering something strong. He merely glanced at your smoky eyes that were lined with kohl, and you winked at him before chewing your gum obnoxiously. Sliding down several shot glasses your way, you sent him an impressed look – he knew you’d be here for quite a long time.

And oh, a long time it was. Seven shots later, the bartender sighed when you raised a finger to signal one more shot, and that’s when he came. It was probably because you were intoxicated and desperate to release some stress, but whatever the reason, you didn’t regret any of the decisions you made that night. 

The first thing you noticed about him was his smell. The faint aroma of rubbing alcohol mixed with a masculine scent was enough to make you turn your head, and you downed your shot in one go as you watched the stranger order something fancy. Huh. The raven haired man was dressed to the nines; a baby blue shirt tucked underneath a pair of tight fitting black pants that you were sure groped his ass. You raised a brow at the mere sight of his slender waist that had you ordering two more shots. You noticed his hands first – long and beautiful – and the image of him choking you as he fucked you from behind made you scoot closer to him. 

“Hey.”

Surprised, he jumped from his seat and spilled some of his drink to his pants accidentally, his crotch now wet and sticking to his skin. You raised your brows as you noticed the large bulge. He wasn’t even aroused yet. 

“I’m sorry,” you said, although you weren’t sorry at all. Pulling out the handkerchief from your pocket, you made sure you looked at him under your lashes while you patted down his groin. The man’s eyes widened at the action, but he didn’t pull you away. He swallowed rather audibly, his hands coming up to circle at your wrist. You noticed the tips of his ears had gone red, and you felt a smirk making its way into your face when you saw his arousal constricting uncomfortably against the fabric.

“That’s enough, thank you,” he whispered, his minty breath fanning your flushed cheeks. His hand was still wrapped around your wrist, and without breaking eye contact, you pulled away from his grasp and clasped his hand to pull him towards you. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you an idea of what I’m capable of.”

In an excruciatingly slow manner, you wrapped your lips around his finger, sucking the digit into your wet cavern. He let out a quiet gasp at the sensation of your tongue licking the underside, your eyes closed in bliss as you felt the bitterness of sanitizers and the saltiness of his skin. It took almost all your willpower not to grind on his lap right there and then, because even though you were a rather kinky woman, you wouldn’t go that far. 

“Stop.” He commanded, and you opened your eyes languidly before pulling him out with a lewd ‘pop’. “Do you think I’m the type of man who sleeps with strangers?”

You laughed. “I think you’re the type of man who can fuck me so well, but hmm… you’re a little boring, don’t you think?” Feigning disinterest, you turned away from him, ordering another shot. “Must be a mistake. I forgot men like you were too up in their heads to know how to make a woman feel good.”

He was practically fuming as you downed another shot, a sign that your plan was working. Next thing you knew, strong arms had wrapped around your waist and you let out a small yelp as he heaved you up effortlessly, until you were on his lap, and boy did he look angry. A choked moan left your mouth as he roughly grabbed your hair to expose your neck, and you felt even wetter at the thought that he could fuck you right here in the bar, out in the open for everyone to see. Public sex was something you’ve never tried, but now it seemed like a good idea. 

“You think you’re funny?” He raised a brow, his other hand trailing under your shirt to squeeze your breast through the material of your bra. You felt him pinch your nipple and you bucked forwards, grinding against his hardness. It must have felt painfully good, because he dragged you towards him. His tongue licked a trail from your neck to your ear before he threatened lowly. “Don’t fuck with me, angel. I’ve had a rough week, and I can ruin you.”

“You sure about that?” You replied huskily, palming him from underneath you and feeling his erection grow harder. “Because I’m no fragile thing, and I doubt you can give it to me how I like it.”

He hummed against your neck, and you felt your core getting wetter when he mumbled angrily. “And if I prove you wrong?”

“Then you can do whatever you want to me,” You supplied, glaring at him through the lashes. “Now, are you gonna make me wait, or are we gonna fuck?”

That seemed to trigger him, because soon he’s shoving you off his lap and pulling you outside to the back door. You faintly heard the bartender shouting at you to pay, but you were too clouded by your arousal that you let this nameless man drag you out to the dark alleyway where he wasted no time in slamming his lips to yours. You moaned when your head hit the hard bricks of the dirty alley, the searing touch of his fingers under your shirt as he pulled the cups of your bra down and tugged at your nipples enough to send sparks of fire running along down your centre. You were wet, so fucking wet, and you yearned to feel his touch right where you wanted him most.

Your hands had a mind of his own, and he growled into your lips when you blindly unbuckled his belt and shoved his pants down. When you palmed his erection and slipped your hands inside his boxers, you ran your finger against his slit and felt your fingers become coated in his pre cum. The stranger grunted, his tongue slipping inside your mouth before the wet muscle collided with yours in a heated manner.

“Fuck.” You moaned into his mouth, pumping your hand up and down his shaft slowly. He pulled away with his chest heaving up and down to look at where your fingers tried to wrap around his thick girth.

Shit, you knew he was big, but you didn’t expect him to be this big. The thought of his cock stretching you out and filling you so deeply had you removing your hands away from his cock to take off your stupid fucking leather pants that clung so tightly to your legs. He laughed at your obvious struggle, and you glared at him. Soon enough, his laughter died down when you shimmied out of your pants, completely speechless as he eyed your bare pussy.

“You haven’t been wearing underwear all this time?”

“I had a feeling I’d meet you tonight,” You joke, but he doesn’t find it funny because he growled, his hand cupping your sopping cunt that left you breathless.

His roughness took you by surprise that you found yourself clinging to his bicep for dear life. It wasn’t long before he slipped two fingers inside, scissoring his way through to your walls to stretch you out, and your head fell back against the wall as you felt him pump into you in an addicting manner that had you seeing stars at the back of your vision.

“You’re so wet already,” He commented, his head diving forwards to suck harshly onto your neck that has you moaning lewdly. You realized this stranger had his fingers shoved deep into your pussy in a dark alley, and while no one could see you at this place, you were sure someone would see the both of you if they passed by. And shit, how fucking hot that was. “That look on your face,” he noticed, “Are you turned on by the thought of getting caught?”

“Aren’t you?” You shot back, and you pushed his hand away when you felt that familiar coil in your belly.

He made a sound of protest that you ignored, and you pulled him down by the tie to attack his thin yet pillowy lips that were red and bruised by now. Your hand snaked between the both of you as you pulled his cock out and lined him against your centre, his breath coming out in stutters when you wrapped one of your legs around his waist as his tip entered you.

“Oh fuck, you’re so tight,” He moaned against your lips before slamming his hips forward until he’s penetrated you into the hilt, and you let out a small whimper of pain. He was big, bigger than you’d imagined. Ypon seeing the look of discomfort in your face, his hands came up to caress your face worriedly. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

You bit your lip, finding it oddly sweet he could be so gentle even when he was tearing you apart. “I’m fine. Just give me a minute, you’re really big.”

“Okay,” He nods, resting his forehead against yours, his hand still carefully holding you by the waist to help keep you up.

You realized you weren’t able to see his face well under the neon lights of the bar, but seeing him now just a breath away, you realized he’s really good looking. His eyes were warm and kind looking despite the evident lust pooling through those greenish-brown orbs, and his gaze was piercing as he seemed to assess your features back. His once gelled hair had now fallen into stray chunks, adding more to his striking features.

You were momentarily lost in his eyes and gentle touches that you forgot he still had his cock deep inside you.

With that thought, you moved your hips forward, your walls suffocating his length. He suddenly shut his eyes in pleasure, murmuring “Oh, fuck” under his breath. You didn’t need to say anything else, the clenching of your walls against him was enough for him to know he could now fuck you senseless. His eyes snapped open, any signs of the previous warmth he held had completely vanished into thin air as his hands hooked behind your knees, silently telling you to jump, and you wrapped both your legs around him.

“I’m not going to go soft and slow with you.”

“Wasn’t asking you to,” You teased, feeling smug at seeing such a composed looking man slowly losing himself in you. He growled at your remarks, and your teasing ceased when he pushed you firmly against the wall, his hands gripping your waist tightly that you were sure you’d get bruises the day after as he rammed into you at a relentless pace.

You were a mess in his arms, your breasts bouncing and slapping your chest up and down as his cock reached places inside you that you didn’t even know existed. He stared at it as if hypnotized before he leaned down, capturing one nipple and lapping at it like a starved man.

Your hair was now sticking onto your skin uncomfortably, uncontrollable moans flowing from your mouth that had fallen open at how each of his strokes seemed to hit everything perfectly. He was stretching you out, filling you so well that each snap of his hips had you tugging at his hair, hard, and he grunted at the pain of you pulling onto his strands. As if encouraged by the action, he pulled out all the way until only his tip was left inside. You stared at him in bewilderment, and he smirked at you arrogantly.

It was just about the sexiest fucking thing you’ve ever seen, and it didn’t help the sweat from his skin made his shirt clung onto him tightly, giving you a teasing view of strong pecs underneath.

You only had a few seconds of rest before he slammed his hips harder than the first, and you had to bite down on your lip to keep yourself from screaming. He was good, so good, and your wetness coated him so well as if urging him to fuck you harder. The sound of your moans, his low grunts and the wet sounds of your arousal dripping onto his length was so dirty and erotic that when he hit your sensitive spot, you cursed loudly as your head fell onto his shoulder. 

Your back grazed the brick wall rather uncomfortably, but all you could focus on was the sweet torture his cock was abusing your core with. He snapped his hips in a deliciously tantalizing manner, your eyes shut tight as he grunted lowly when you clenched around him, a sign you were close. Judging by the way his thrusts had become erratic, it seemed like he was too.

“Baby, I’m close.” He announced, beads of sweat falling onto his cheeks. He looked fucked out with the way he was gritting his teeth as he continued to slam into you, his hips coming forward hurriedly as if desperate to reach his high. You knew you didn’t look better. Tears threatened to escape your eyes at the way his tip was brushing against your sweet spot abusingly, over and over again. You were so lost in the pleasure you felt that he tapped his fingers against your cheek whimpering at the sensations flooding through.

“I’m close,” he panted, “Where can I cum?”

“Inside,” You breathed out, a moan falling from your open lips.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” You nod tiredly, looking down to see how your pussy engulfed him completely. His length disappeared back into you after every withdrawal, as if your womanhood didn’t ever want him to pull away. And from the way he throbbed inside you, it seemed like he didn’t want to pull away either.

“Oh fuck,” He rasped out, his thrusts stuttering as you felt him release inside you, the warmth of his cum filling you up so good.

“Shit, shit, shit,” You mumbled in the crook of his neck as he spilled himself inside you, feeling your combined essence dripping out of your hole. He groaned, riding the both of your highs before you felt him soften inside you. You were both breathing heavily, and you were taken by surprise when he kissed you again, softer this time. His hands crawled up to the nape of your neck as he nibbled on your lower lip, and you groaned into the kiss, thinking if there’d ever been a time you were taken in a such a debauched manner yet kissed so sweetly.

Your memories came up with nothing.

The contrast of him passionately kissing you like a lover had you feeling lightheaded from how he had roughly fucked you, but you basked in the warmth of him anyway. He smelled faintly of sweat, sex, and his cologne, a scent you think you could get used to forever. His hair was soft as you threaded your fingers through it, and he sighed in content at the feeling of you gently massaging his scalp, his large hand now cupping the side of your face.

When he pulled away from you, he rested his forehead against yours, his eyes tired and drooping. The silence of the night engulfed you both as he stayed inside you, and then you both started laughing out of nowhere. He helped you get down safely, his hand still gently placed on the small of your back before he slid out of you completely.

You bit your lip to restrain yourself from fucking him again – the sight of his soft member leaving the warmth of your slick folds shouldn’t have been so erotic. You didn’t want to pull away from him – at least not yet – so you reached forward, tucking his cock back into his boers as you ignored his heated stare at the back of your head. Soon, you pulled your pants back up, wincing at how wet you were down there.

“Are you okay?” he asked, not missing the way he stared at how your tight pants outlined your pussy. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Uhm, I’m sorry about… that,” he gestured to your camel toe, and you scoffed in amusement. “I can take you home, if you’d like.”

“No thanks, I’m good,” You shook your head, smiling innocently at how his shoulders seemed to drop in disappointment. “Although I must say, it’s gonna be hard to walk home tonight…  Doctor Zayne.”

The sight of his eyes widening and his mouth falling open almost seemed comical to you. “Wh-what? How’d you know my name?”

You grinned, showing him his wallet and work ID card. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish before he puffed his cheeks out instead. He patted his pockets in a frenzy, and at the realization that it was indeed empty, you threw his belongings back to him sloppily, his arms flailing out before it fell to the ground. He mumbled a ‘thanks’ at your way. You nodded at him and walked away, letting the darkness of the night swallow you before he called you out. You paused in your steps.

“Wait!” He shouted, although you failed to hear the sound of footsteps. “Aren’t you gonna tell me your name?”

“I don’t think I need to,” You smirked over your shoulder, mockingly saluting him on your way. “I have a feeling we’ll meet each other again.”

Zayne was left in the dark alley that night. As much as he wanted to run after you and take you home, he had a strong feeling you didn’t want to be followed. Once you’d been completely swallowed by the darkness, he jumped in his spot when the back door flung open harshly, and he was met with the sight of a pissed off looking man. It was the bartender.

“Well?” He huffed, “Aren’t you gonna pay?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Your girlfriend left without paying,” He hissed, shoving the receipt into the smaller man’s face who looked lost. His eyes skimmed over the amount you’ve drank, grimacing when he saw the hefty price. “Pay up. Now.” Zayne cursed inwardly, handing over a wad of cash to the bartender’s outstretched palm before going home with a frown. 

He should have known you were trouble. One look at your predatory gaze, and the way you sized him up like he was your next meal, he fell right into your trap. He kicked a bunch of pebbles in frustration, hating the way he felt so attracted to you the moment he landed his eyes on you. It didn’t help that you were the exact embodiment of sexiness either. You were confident, and carried an aura that made him feel like you could’ve conquered the world should you wish. 

In conclusion, you were the exact image of his desires that came to life, and now he faced the consequences of falling into the trap of a seductive temptress. 

He just hoped never to see you again. 

Weeks passed by since the last time he saw you, and Zayne refused to admit that he went back to the bar several days in a week in hopes of seeing you again.

But after the fifth night that the bartender sent him pitiful glances, he never came back once informed you hadn’t returned ever since. He didn’t even know why he should care, he didn’t even know your name. And yet… he found himself wanting to know more about you. Call it simple curiosity or just him being plainly attracted to your mysteriousness, he didn’t care. One thing he could admit though, was that he thought you were quite the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. The way you held yourself so surely and knew exactly what you liked was enough to bring out the primal side of his being.

But, those thoughts aside, you just screamed trouble.

And Zayne worked hard to get where he was now. He still remembered those hellish nights he was unable to sleep when his midterms were coming up, because medical school was just both a curse and a blessing at the same time. It was even harder since his parents had passed away long ago that he had to support himself at such a young age. His childhood – or lack thereof – had been a blur of working two part time jobs to afford his school fees and stacking his mini fridge of bottled coffees just to survive that night. Because of his hectic routine and his dedication to his dreams, Zayne never got to date anyone.

It wasn’t because he didn’t look good either, no, it was quite the opposite.

He’d received multiple confessions in medical school from wonderful girls who all came from good families, but one look at their preppy attitudes and cookie cutter perfect image, he knew he would never fit in. Sure, they were nice, sweet, and smart, but most of his classmates in the resident school had only gotten in because they were born privileged. They would never understand his struggles. And so, with a polite smile, he turned them all down and focused on his own future instead.

He just wanted to pave a better life himself first. Love could come afterwards.

Zayne just never thought it would come in the form of a leather jacket clad woman with blood red lipstick who hauled a man twice her size on her shoulders, cursing at him for being ‘a stupid fucking dimwit’ into the emergency room, exactly on the time of his shift. Zayne shot upwards from his seat in a flash, rounding the counter and making his way towards you and your friend, who he realized was sporting a gunshot to his thigh.

At the sight of your most recent – and undeniably the best fuck you’ve had – wearing a black button-up hidden under a white coat, paired with squeaky white shoes, a stethoscope hanging around his neck and just looking so damn fuckable, had you laughing with glee. 

Never mind Luke who was groaning in pain. It was his fault for getting shot anyway. You told the younger male multiple times not to play around with guns and not to challenge your shooting skills because you’d always be better than him. But he refused to back down due to the fact he was so butthurt over it and dragged you into the shooting fields, only for the gun to slip into his sweaty hands, successfully shooting his own leg in the process.

Yeah, you didn’t care at all.

“Doctor Zayne!” You exclaimed gleefully, pushing Luke’s heavy weight off of you until he fell to the hospital bed. You ignored his screams in pain. “What a coincidence!” You glanced at your friend, “Luke, look how lucky you are. Zayne’s in tonight. I heard he’s the best doctor.”

Luke eyed you both, watching carefully as Zayne only nodded at you in return before he proceeded to pull out several doctor shit you had no idea with, but they did seem familiar. You only recognized them briefly from those times you had to dress your wounds yourself, and it wasn’t exactly a memory filled with sunshine and rainbows. 

“Okay, I’m going to inject you with some anesthesia,” Zayne’s voice cut through the air, and you watched in awe as he proceeded to do everything flawlessly. 

Soon enough, Luke, who was always a wuss when it came to pain, had already passed out by the time the raven-haired doctor had plucked out the bullets and proceeded with the stitching. Not wanting to interrupt, you jumped up on the nurse’s counter, swinging your legs back and forth with your palms placed flatly behind you before assessing the place.

It was a rather big and well known hospital, so you were confused that Zayne seemed to be the only one around. The only sound that filled the air was Luke’s hiccupping followed by snores, and you scoffed at him, eyes trained on Zayne’s skillful fingers working on the sutures flawlessly. You noticed his brows were furrowed in concentration, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, and you tipped your head to the side in admiration.

You didn’t understand what was so endearing about a professional man concentrated on his work, but you found yourself enamored by the mere sight of him. 

Somehow, he managed to look absolutely perfect under the bright fluorescent lights of the emergency room, and you thought it was unfair. He wasn’t even dressed to impress. His white coat was wrinkled, and only now does it make sense when he told you he’d had a rough week the first time you met him. Dark bags were under his eyes, and you squinted at the sight of several headache pills and cups of coffee neatly placed behind the counter where he once sat, waiting for patients who needed his help.

Guilt immediately washed over you. 

Here, Zayne probably spent day and night saving countless lives. Maybe people like him would have been able to get more rest had people like you not existed. 

Your train of thought was cut off when you suddenly felt a warm hand caressing your face, and you froze under Zayne’s touch. Looking up, you swallowed when you realized his face was close to yours – way too close – that you could see the worry present in his gaze.

“What happened?” He asked softly, concern coating his dulcet voice that you couldn’t help but feel small inside his arms. You blinked. Wait, what? Felt small? You almost wanted to laugh, because you both led different lives. In your world of kill or be killed, you were definitely on the ‘kill’ side. People like you weren’t weak, so you sat up straighter, tearing yourself away from his soothing touch as you flashed him a lazy grin.

“Don’t mind him, he was just being stupid,” you gestured to a passed out Luke.

Zayne shook his head, pulling off his medical gloves before throwing it into the waste bin. “He could have been in a critical situation if you hadn’t brought him here earlier. Your friend got shot in the leg, and it was dangerously close to his bones. A single shot to the leg, especially the thighs, could have been deadly. The bullet could have exploded into tiny pieces until it flowed into his bloodstream, and those little shrapnels could have killed him,” he sighed tiredly, placing his arms beside your body. Even with you sitting on top of a counter, Zayne still managed to be taller than you. “Your friend could have died tonight. He needs to be confined for further treatment.”

Your eyes almost popped out its socket, “What? No! We need to be back by tonight!”

“I can’t allow that,” he shook his head, “He needs proper recovery.”

“But–” you started, pausing in your words when he gave you a look that told you you didn’t have any way out of this. But you had to get Luke back to the base tonight before Jenna woke up. You didn’t want your boss finding out his best asset and the newest fresh meat he assigned you to train to end up with a medical record accessible by your enemies, unless you wanted to end up dead in a ditch somewhere. Then, an idea flashed into your mind, and you looked around for the possibility of anyone walking into you. Looking back at the sexy doctor hovering over you firmly, you flashed your most seductive smile, running your hand down his chest before purring, “–you can always have exceptions, right?”

Zayne glared at you, although he didn’t stop you from looping your fingers to his pants. If anything, he’s a little grateful for the distraction. He realized you were much better at waking him up than any of those energy drinks and coffee. No, you set his nerves on fire, and he started to panic when you jumped off the counter and went down on your knees.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” He whisper-hissed, stopping you from doing whatever you were about to do. “My co-workers are just on their break, they’ll be back in five minutes.”

“Five minutes?” You chuckled arrogantly, looking up at him innocently. The image of you looking absolutely cute while at eye level with his now growing arousal was something that would haunt him for the rest of his life. “With how good I am, you’d come undone in two minutes.” And I’d get Luke out in no time, you thought to yourself.

Zayne scoffed when he realized you had a knack for bruising his ego, and you laughed harder when he shoved his pants down until his erection sprang free, his cock bending towards his stomach. You smirked at the fact he was already hard, his head now red and dripping with precum. You felt proud it didn’t take much to turn him on. 

Oh, you were gonna have fun indeed.

“Two minutes,” he growled, his hands pulling your hair into a makeshift ponytail as his hips thrust forward, his cock slapping against your cheek. The essence of his arousal making your face feel sticky. “You’ve got two minutes to make me cum.”

“The pleasure is mine.”

Not wasting a second longer, you placed your hands on his strong thighs before taking him into your mouth. Zayne moaned at the feeling of your warm mouth around his cock. You licked the underside of his cock, feeling every protruding ridge and vein before you started sucking him. Bobbing your head up and down, Zayne closed his eyes in pleasure, thrusting forward when you hollowed your cheeks around him.

“Ah, fuck,” He grunted, his tip hitting the back of your throat, and your gag reflex clenched around his head. It was a beautiful sight to behold, seeing him lose himself in the feeling of your mouth around him. You sucked him off earnestly until you pulled him out with only his tip left inside, his muscles quivering under your touch. 

Feeling that he was close, you took him all the way back in until you’re gagging on his length again. Tears started to fall on your cheeks at how he had completely taken over. Soon enough, you felt him grow bigger inside you until you knew he was about to cum. He pulled away, or more like tried to, because you placed your palm flat on his ass to keep him right where he was. You started choking and gagging on his cock when he harshly thrust inside your mouth, his warm seed spurting on your tongue.

Zayne fought back another groan. He struggled to breathe from the orgasm you gave him, and you opened your mouth, showing him that his cum was all over your tongue before you made a show of swallowing it. Your lipstick had also smeared, the red smudged all over your face. Deciding to tease him further, you wrapped your lips around him one more time, leaving lipstick stains all over his semi hard cock.

“W-wait,” he tried to push your head back, “Sensitive – I can’t–”

Determined to clean him off, you licked all around his member, still tasting the saltiness of his cum coating your tongue before pulling him out with a wet ‘pop.’

You stood up and brushed the dust of your knees, thankful that your skinny ripped jeans hadn’t been stained the slightest. Zayne pulled his pants back up, glaring at you when he saw you trying not to smile at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing,” you said, “Did it feel good?”

“I came in a minute and a half, what’d you think?” He snapped, and you laughed at how moody he seemed. Zayne rounded the counter before typing something away at his computer, not sparing you a glance as he asked for your friend’s personal information. He looked up at you with a raised brow. “I said, what’s your friend’s name?”

You crossed your arms against your chest. “You know, I blew you off. Let me off the hook just this once,”

“What?” He asked, bewildered, “What part of your friend needs proper recovery don’t you understand? He needs to be under supervision.”

“We have a resident doctor,” you informed, “He just wasn’t around today, but I assure you he can take care of him. Come on, Zayne, it’s only right that you repay me for making you feel good, no?”

“You made me pay for your drinks at the bar. I think I deserved that blowjob.”

“Oh, come on,” you pouted, trying to do the puppy eye method and wishing it would work on him. It didn’t, and you sighed in defeat. “I can repay you next time.”

“There won’t be a next time,” he hissed, and you groaned, exasperated.

There would be a next time because you wanted him as much he wanted you!

Desperate to make him change his mind, you tugged your crop top down to show that again you weren’t wearing anything underneath. Zayne’s eyes immediately clouded with lust at the sight.

He scoffed, though he doesn’t tear his gaze away from your perky buds. “Did you think you could bribe a professional with your gorgeous body?”

“Of course,” you replied confidently, pushing your shirt back to its place before walking beside Luke, ignoring the way Zayne eyed your tattoo weirdly. You shook him awake, but he only mumbled and slapped your hand away, and you sighed. Zayne was still watching you both curiously from behind the counter. You gave him an ‘ok’ sign before slapping Luke hard on the face, to which he immediately bolted awake.

“Ow, what the fuck was that for?!”

“That’s not how you talk to your senior,” you scolded him while helping him get up with his arm looped around your neck. Turning to Zayne, you winked, “I have a car, don’t worry. I’ll make sure he’ll get taken care of.”

He hummed with a frown etched on his face, not liking the thought of you alone in a car with a different man. “Will you tell me your name now?”

Luke was halfway passed out again in your arms, and you grinned cheekily at the hot doctor who was patiently waiting for your answer.

Finally, you introduced yourself, “But try not to say my name too much.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re gonna get hurt if you do.”

Just as fast as you appeared and always gave him something to remember you by, you disappeared.

It was starting to infuriate the doctor by now, at how he knew the curves of your body but otherwise had no idea of who you were. He knew you weren’t a normal citizen like him, and he’s pondered several times if maybe you were a criminal. It made him wince; the thought of falling for a criminal out of all people was enough for him to be thrown off balance.

Every morning, he woke up at the thought of your smile, of how adorable and innocent you seemed when you just laughed to your heart’s content and your eyes formed into little crescent moons. He also remembered the way you smelled, a mix of roses and something entirely soft and feminine. He grew afraid of forgetting your sweet scent that he even thought of not showering before he realized how undeniably disgusting that was. And so with a disgruntled thought, a hard on that made him jack off in the shower at the thought of you, and very confused feelings, Zayne decided to throw himself into work and just forget about you completely.

Things were much better that way anyway.

Desperate to ignore how his mind was heavy at the thought of you, of how he craved to hold you instead of touch you, he took on several shifts that absolutely left him drained by the end of the day. He was basically sleeping in empty operating rooms by now, the stench of rubbing alcohol and metallic steel comforting to him. He was so overworked that even nurses and several doctors had become worried for him.

“Zayne,” Nurse Jude addressed the dark-haired doctor who had a clipboard cradled to his chest, well on his way to looking like a zombie right now. “I think you should go home. You don’t look too well.”

Zayne only smiled gratefully, always finding comfort in the quieter nurse’s presence. Jude was a calm and gentle steady energy, and he secretly envied at how he seemed to have everything balanced. If he remembered correctly, he still managed to have the time to take his girlfriend out on dates despite also basically living in the hospital. Jude was well rounded and had everything he wanted and needed, while Zayne just felt left behind for silently chasing (not really, he hadn’t seen you in months) a woman who he was certain was a criminal. 

Or worse, a murderer.

He really needed to set his mind straight.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” he lied, checking the patient’s vitals while Jude places the suggested meals for their recovery. “I just have a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

“Is it a girl?”

He paused on the act of scribbling down the rates, his hand reaching up to rub his neck awkwardly. “Is it too obvious?”

“A little, yeah,” Jude laughed before patting him on the back comfortingly. “Don’t worry about it too much, I’m sure it’ll work out in the end.”

Zayne smiled sadly. The likelihood of even meeting you again was highly unlikely, what even more the possibility of you liking him the same way he liked you. But he nodded anyway, not wanting to make Jude feel bad. “I sure hope so.”

“It will,” he insisted, and the spectacled nurse gives him a small smile before making his way out. “Oh, and I talked to Nurse Jang, she said she’ll gladly cover your shift for you. Go home, Zayne, you need to rest.”

Zayne smiled, silently asking himself why he couldn’t have just been a woman and dated someone like Jude instead. He was smart, attractive, and caring. 

He shook his head in disbelief, bidding the patient deep in slumber a farewell before following his co-worker out the hallway to retrieve his stuff and go home. Jude and Nurse Jang both gave him bread in hopes that he would get his much needed rest soon. Since Zayne was feeling like taking a stroll in the night, he pocketed his car keys and walked all the way to his apartment.

The stars were out and bright, and he stared at them astonishingly, wondering if you were looking at the same sky as him; if you saw the stars the way it was now. He stopped in his tracks, suddenly feeling cold and lonely in the empty night as his mind started to get swarmed by thoughts of you. 

He really didn’t understand why he felt attracted to you, all he knew was that there was this… spark, or connection, however corny that sounded.

And he knew he just wasn’t after your body – although he would love to fuck you again, in his bed this time if you’d allow him to take his time with you – no, he was completely drunk at the thought of you.

It was weird, how he didn’t even know your last name, your age, or what you really did for a living. And yet, he didn’t care about all those, all he knew was that he wanted to be with you. He wants to spend time with you and get to know you better, and hell, he wants to pamper you with so much love that he doesn’t understand fucking why. Frustrated, he runs his hand down his face with a groan, unable to get his mind off of you. Maybe it was because you had a good sense of humor, and you always kept him on his toes and there was just something about you that let him know he had to cherish each and every moment.

With a sigh, he stopped looking at the stars because it only reminded him of how you were probably somewhere, unsafe. He didn’t have the slightest of how you were and he was worrying for a complete stranger. 

Too lost in his own thoughts, he failed to hear the sound of a gun clicking. Zayne froze when he felt the cold barrel of a gun pressing against his forehead, followed by a gruff voice cutting through the silence of the air.

“Give me your money.”

Zayne gulped, pocketing his wallet immediately at the sight of the man holding him hostage come at eye level with him. He gulped at how his left eye was closed due to a scar that ran until his chin. Obviously, this guy had seen some real things that Zayne doesn’t even want to be involved in, and his heart was picking up a mile a minute. He was about to hand his wallet and cellphone over, making sure he still kept his work ID, when a feminine and a strangely familiar laughter joined in the scene.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Carefully, Zayne turned around, only to see you leaning against the wall lazily with a cigarette dangling by the edge of your lips, somehow looking bored at the scene. If he wasn’t about to piss in his pants right now in fear of getting his brains blown out any moment, he would have admired you openly. He swallowed at the sight of you wearing nothing but a lace black bralette under a washed denim jacket, paired with ripped skinny jeans and untied combat boots. Still so pretty, even when his entire body warned him not to get too close.

Like the first time he saw you, you screamed danger, and Zayne found himself unable to look away.

“Go home, little girl,” the man snapped, “This isn’t a place for youngsters like you.”

You sighed tiredly. “Whatever. Just let the man go, and learn a little lesson from him. If you want money, you gotta work hard like everyone else.”

A tick seemed to go off in him, because soon Zayne was being shoved aside. He shouted your name loudly when the man had his gun pointed at you instead. However, you only grinned at him, cocking your head to the side in pure amusement. Zayne watched as the man lowered his gun, fingers stuttering as realization dawned on him.

“Are you part of the–”

“Exactly, sweetheart,” you smiled sweetly, taking his fingers off from the weapon. “Now, run along before I kill you, okay? Let’s just forget this ever happened.”

Tha man nodded before scurrying away, and Zayne pushed himself up to his feet to place himself beside you. Your eyes were still trained on the offender’s retreating form. Zayne was about to pull your attention to him when you suddenly raised the gun with a squint, the sound of a gun firing echoed through the night. Zayne gasped, disbelief written all over his face as the man fell down.

You turned to him with an unreadable expression. “I didn’t kill him, don’t worry.”

“Didn’t kill?!” he asks, enraged. “You still shot someone!”

“I know Jason, he’s gonna run for a little bit and come back to you. Did you really think I’d risk you getting killed when I could have prevented it?” Your words came out with spite that Zayne didn’t respond to, watching as you stashed the gun into the back pocket of your jeans. “Thought so. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

“You don’t need to.”

“Jesus, Zayne,” you said exasperatedly, “Out of all the places you could’ve taken a detour in, you had to choose a bad neighborhood, didn’t you? I’m taking you home, and that’s final.” Zayne started to protest, but one glare from you had him shutting up. Once sure he had given in, you showed him your trademark carefree smile, bowing down mockingly. “Lead the way, sir.”

“I live close by,” he rolled his eyes, and you fell into step with him easily. 

The two of you walked in silence, your hands swinging back and forth obnoxiously as your legs took longer strides to keep up with him. When he realized he considerably walked faster than you did, he slowed down until you were right next to him, and you were taken by surprise when he looped his hand through yours, eyes staring directly ahead. “This is just so you don’t fall behind.”

“How sweet,” you commented cheekily, reaching up to peck him on the cheeks. Zayne, not expecting the innocent gesture even in his wildest dreams, whipped his head so fast to look at you. He looked so ridiculously cute that you couldn’t help but kiss him again, making sure your lips remained to his skin a little longer than the first. “You look so adorable.”

His cheeks burned at the way you looked at him, your eyes completely youthful, innocent, and just looking at him with so much adoration that he thought… he wasn’t going to deny it anymore. He liked you. 

Upon rendering him speechless, you giggled before tugging him forwards to walk home. Zayne turned away from you to hide a childish grin.

The walk back was peaceful, and the mere scent of your rose scented perfume was enough to soothe his nerves as well. Maybe it was because he knew he was safe, and that’s why he felt comfortable, but one look at you humming a tune to yourself, he realized he was calm and at peace because you were safe. 

You obviously led a life that would be hard to explain to him, and while he wanted to get to know you better, he also didn't want to push you into divulging information you wouldn’t want to.

For now, he was just glad to see you and have you by his side again, and he was going to try to elongate this moment for as long as he could.

And so the stoic doctor walked slowly on purpose, and you, being observant and calculative as ever, knew exactly what he was getting at and walked slowly as well. It was a little chilly, and your lack of clothing didn’t help, so you pressed your body flush against his, your head naturally finding its place into the crook of his neck. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but his strong arm encircled your waist. You didn’t find it in yourself to complain.

You just missed him.

And he missed you too, although no one would ever say that out loud.

“How was work?” You asked softly, “You don’t look like you’ve been sleeping well.”

“Hmm,” he hummed, turning slightly to press a kiss to the top of your head before his apartment came into view and you both walked upstairs. “I couldn’t get my mind off this amazing person, and I had to work a lot to forget her.”

You chuckled breathily from his hold, and Zayne smiled when he felt the vibrations of your chest rumble to his skin. “Maybe it’s much better to forget her. She’s just bad news, you know.”

“I don’t think I want to forget her,” he admitted, now standing in front of his unit. Zayne loosened his hold on you, his hands finding its place on your shoulders before bending down to look at you. “I think… I want to keep seeing you.”

A smile made its way to your face, but it was more confused than sad. Shrugging his hold off of you, you lifted your denim jacket to show him the intricate dragon tattoo that ran until the top of your breasts. “I’m a criminal, Zayne. I’m part of an underground gang, and, well… as much as I want to see you too, I don’t think this is gonna work out.”

“We won’t know until we’ve tried,” he insisted, and your eyes lit up in amusement at how he seemed intent on getting to know you better. It warmed your heart in a way that you’d never felt before, and your smile only grew bigger, perhaps even a little shy when he continued speaking. “Can I – feel free to say no, but please don’t – take you out on a date?”

Your eyes squinted so hard from how large you were smiling, and really, how could you say no? Fishing your phone out from your pocket, you typed in his name next to a heart emoji before handing it to him. Zayne laughed in disbelief as he texted himself through your number and saved his contact information. 

“I’ll text you the details. When are you free?”

“I’m a busy woman,” you told him, cocking your head to the side teasingly. “But if it’s for you, I’m always free.”

Zayne’s face flushed. “Wow, okay, I didn’t think you’d say yes.”

You rolled your eyes, walking away from him with a wave of your hand. “I’ll see you around, Doc. This is my first date, so it better not be disappointing.”

“It won’t!”

And Zayne really did keep to his word. Only three days after you walked him home, your phone buzzed from its place rather loudly that you accidentally knocked Luke’s gun out of his hold. A shot rang through the air and a scream tore its way from his throat. You rolled your eyes when you saw that he almost shot himself again.

“I swear, Luke, I’m not taking you to the hospital again because of your stupidity.”

He had the audacity to look appalled. “You made me drop my gun!”

“Tough luck,” you teased, grinning as you read Zayne’s text. He was asking if you were available tonight, and you immediately replied back saying you were. “Okay, tell the boss I’ll be out tonight. Don’t ask why. I’m meeting someone.”

“What does that me–hey! You know Jenna will kill me if she finds out you went out again!”

“That was kind of the plan,” you laughed, twisting your car keys into your finger before running away from the younger male who had gone pale in fear. “But don’t die tonight!”

You expected someone like Zayne to take you to a quiet, upscale restaurant for your first date, the kind of place where you could sit across from each other and talk softly about your lives over candlelight. But instead, you found yourself in a small, crowded theater, where the seats were a little too close together and the air was thick with anticipation.

As you settled into your seats, you couldn’t help but smile at the contrast between the setting and the man beside you. Zayne, usually so composed in his button-ups and scrubs, had opted for a simple black hoodie and jeans, his hair down and slightly tousled. The look softened his serious demeanor, and you found it endearing.

“I didn’t expect you to pick a horror movie,” you teased as the previews began to roll.

Zayne’s lips quirked up in a shy smile, but he kept his eyes on the screen. “I thought it’d be...interesting,” he replied, the hesitation in his voice betraying his nerves.

“Interesting, huh? You sure you can handle it?” you nudged him playfully.

“I’m a doctor. I’ve seen worse things,” he said, though the faint tension in his posture suggested otherwise.

As the movie started, you noticed how intently he was watching the screen, his posture straight, his eyes focused. The suspense began to build, and you could feel Zayne tensing beside you. The protagonist on screen was slowly inching closer to the inevitable scare, and you couldn’t resist stealing a glance at Zayne. When the jump scare finally hit, the theater erupted with screams, and Zayne flinched, his grip on the popcorn box tightening. He let out a quiet exhale, his eyes darting to you as if to gauge your reaction.

“Are you okay?” you asked, leaning closer to him.

He gave a small nod, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “I’m fine. Just...not my usual choice of entertainment.”

You grinned, finding his honesty charming. “Well, I’m glad you’re here with me anyway.”

“Me too,” he said, his voice soft, almost hesitant. He shifted slightly in his seat, and his fingers brushed against yours on the armrest. It was a subtle touch, but the warmth of his skin sent a pleasant shiver down your spine.

As the movie continued, Zayne remained composed, though you noticed how his hand eventually settled over yours, his grip gentle yet reassuring. It wasn’t overt or flashy, but rather a quiet sign of affection that made your heart swell.

When the credits rolled and the lights came up, you both sat in comfortable silence for a moment before he turned to you. His expression was soft, and there was a vulnerability in his eyes that you hadn’t seen before.

“I’m sorry if this wasn��t what you expected,” he said, his thumb grazing your hand as he spoke.

You shook your head, smiling up at him. “Zayne, this was perfect. I didn’t need anything fancy. I just wanted to spend time with you.”

He looked relieved, and as you both stood up to leave, he helped you to your feet, his hand resting lightly on your back as you exited the theater. The cool night air greeted you, and you felt a sense of calm between you, a quiet understanding that didn’t need words.

“Do you want to grab a coffee or something?” he asked, his voice low, as if he was still feeling out the moment.

“Actually,” you said, stopping him as you turned to face him, “I was thinking we could just...walk for a bit?”

His eyes softened, and he nodded. “I’d like that.”

As you walked side by side, the city’s lights twinkling around you, Zayne reached for your hand again, this time with more confidence. His fingers intertwined with yours, and he gave your hand a gentle squeeze. “I have to admit,” he said after a few minutes of comfortable silence, “I was really nervous about tonight.”

You glanced at him, surprised. “You? Nervous?”

He chuckled softly, his eyes fixed ahead. “Yeah. I’m not exactly great at this...dating thing.”

“You’re doing just fine,” you assured him, your heart warming at his confession.

When you reached a quiet spot away from the bustling streets, Zayne slowed to a stop, turning to face you fully. There was something in his gaze, a mix of shyness and determination, that made your breath catch. “I know I’m not the easiest person to read,” he began, his voice steady despite the slight flush on his cheeks, “but I want you to know that...I’m really glad you agreed to go out with me.”

You smiled, feeling the sincerity in his words. “I’m glad too, Zayne. Really.”

He hesitated for a brief moment before leaning in, his movements slow and deliberate, giving you plenty of time to pull away if you wanted. But you didn’t. Instead, you closed the distance, meeting him halfway. The first touch of his lips was soft, almost tentative, but as you responded, he deepened the kiss, his hand coming up to cup your cheek.

The kiss was everything you hadn’t expected – gentle, warm, and unhurried. It wasn’t about passion or fireworks, but a press of lips where you familiarized yourselves with each other’s taste. When you finally pulled away, you found yourself smiling shyly at each other.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” he asked, his thumb brushing over your lower lip as he gazed at you.

“Not in so many words,” you replied, your voice teasing but soft.

He smiled, a rare and genuine expression that made your heart skip a beat. “You do. You look amazing.”

“Thank you,” you whispered, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks.

Zayne held your gaze for a moment longer before he finally stepped back, still holding your hand as you continued your walk. The night was calm, and with Zayne by your side, everything felt just right. He took you to a diner afterwards where you feasted on burgers and milkshakes. It definitely wasn’t anything out of the norm, but it was perfect nevertheless. He refused to let go of your hand under the table, and although you told him he’d struggle to eat with one hand, he just shook his head with a smile and insisted he never wanted to let you go.

You should have known that night would be just one of many.

And it was never easy.

Of course, being a gangster had never been on par with dating a doctor, and even though most of your things are now placed in his apartment, it still wasn’t easy. You often left without a word, only coming back near the verge of dying, and Zayne would always hold back his tears as he took care of you. 

It wasn’t easy because you kept coming back to him and your old life, two worlds that never blended well together, because he was the preserver of life and you were the bringer of death. It wasn’t easy when it always felt like you had too little time that made Zayne always had to cherish every moment he had with you. It wasn’t easy for you, and definitely not for him, yet Zayne never asked you to stay. 

Instead, he always watched you leave in the middle of the night, silently hoping you’d come back safely.

Today was not one of those days.

Jenna had sent you off somewhere far away to handle one of her deals for her, and it didn’t end up looking pretty when your so called client tried to run away without payment. Needless to say, you got stabbed in the gut, but you came home with bags of money anyway. It was a miracle you were able to drive yourself all the way back without passing out. 

Just like when Luke accidentally shot himself, the resident medic wasn’t around, and you found yourself limping to Zayne’s apartment. It was a little ways past midnight, and he was still awake, back hunched over a few papers of his patients. Upon hearing the sound of rapid knocking he knew was yours, he immediately cleared off his table to take care of you. Just like how he always had. 

And like always, you looked at him dreamily, because he was the only light in your life. Your heart swelled with your feelings for him, because whether he had you bent over the counter as he fucked you from behind or you were just cuddling him – or moments like now where you were barely breathing and your gaze was unfocused – he always looked at you the same way.

He always looked at you like he loved you, and you knew he did.

“I missed you,” you croaked out, coughing up blood afterwards. He shushed you before proceeding to stitch you up. “I’m sorry I’m always gone and you keep having to take care of me.”

“It’s okay,” he murmured, his hand momentarily cupping your cheeks.

You looked up at him with so much affection that made him wonder if you were hurt at all, and those were one of the things about you. You had your own demons, yet you always seemed bright and carefree, and he sighed. 

Zayne blamed it on that cursed hippocratic oath that always made him come to your beck and call. But one look at your smiling – although bloodied – face, he realizes he doesn’t mind being your personal doctor. 

Like always, he was just glad you were safe. 

You soon passed out in his dining table, your clothes stained with blood now seeping through and making a mess of his furniture. But he didn't mind, and instead carried you bridal style to his room where he lets you rest. He peeled off your dirty clothes away from your body before draping you his oversized yellow hoodie, his heart stirring with worry and happiness at seeing you in his bed, in his clothes, and in his arms.

To him, that was enough since he knew there wasn’t much you could give him, so he cuddled next to you, careful not to add pressure to your wounds before falling asleep.

You didn’t know how long you’ve been out for, but by the time you’d woken up, you realized you were in Zayne’s bed, dressed in your favorite hoodie of his. Groaning, you covered your eyes when the sunlight streamed in harshly. Zayne stirred from beside you. You let out a little gasp when you felt his erection pressing against your ass, his husky morning voice groaning in your ear.

“Baby,” he moaned, his hands lifting your – his – hoodie up as his fingers trail your skin up to your breasts. “Can I fuck you?”

“I,” you started, pausing when your throat goes dry. “Yes, please.”

Zayne groaned as he scooted closer to you, his hair starting to tickle your neck. You sucked in a sharp breath when his fingers pushed your panties to the side, the tip of his erection teasing your folds before he pushed all the way in. “Fuck,” he moaned lowly, “Tell me if it hurts anywhere.”

You only chuckled lightly as your lips gripped him tightly, because only now do you remember the previous incident you were in. True to his words, Zayne was careful not to hurt you, his hands finding home in your hips instead of your waist. You shuddered at the same time he let out little grunts next to your ear. You wished you could turn around to see how his face contorts in that way when he’s about to cum, but he doesn’t let you. His hand started to grip your breasts under the material of his hoodie, making you close your eyes in the feeling of him filling you again.

It had been too long, way too long, and you missed him. 

Your body was sensitive, that even though his thrusts were slow yet deep, the constant action of his cock plunging into your depths had you mewling. Zayne began to whisper your name, and that was enough for you both to reach your peaks. He came inside you with his thrusts getting sloppier by each minute, and you shut your eyes close as his warmth started to drip outside your pussy. 

Zayne pulled out, gently turning you to your side to face him. He was looking at you softly, a shy smile decorating his sleepy features as he muttered out, “Hi.”

“Hello,” you greeted back as softly as he did. “Did you miss me?”

“So much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he soothed, sitting up before helping you to do the same. “Just promise me you’ll spend the night.”

Now that you could promise. “Sure. Jenna let me off the hook anyway.”

Zayne’s eyes lit up at the thought of that, and soon you both made your way to his kitchen where he started whipping up breakfast. You winced at the bloodstains you’d left, making a move to wipe it off, but he reprimanded you to just sit down and do nothing. You apologized when he cleaned it up rigorously. He only winked at you, and you moved to plop yourself on his counter as you watched him cook. Zayne let the eggs boil for a while, and you watched him cross legged with your face cupped in the palms of your hands. He turned to stare at you, his face unreadable.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you asked, feeling self conscious as you touched your face. “Do I have something on my face?”

He shook his head, walking towards you and placing his arms beside your body before he kissed you. “You just,” peck “look,” peck “so,” peck “cute.” By the time he moved on to peppering your face with kisses, you were giggling in his hold, your legs naturally wrapping around his waist .Zayne laughed at your poor attempts in trying to move away from him. 

“Stop!” you exclaimed in embarrassment, “You’re gonna spoil me!”

“Of course I’ll spoil you.” He stated, his hands keeping you in place to stop you from moving. You gave in to the strength of his hold and fall limp, the both of you falling silent as you just stared at each other looking lovesick fools.

“Kiss me again.” You mumbled, hands playing with the collar of his shirt. Zayne bent down to kiss you again.

“As you wish.”

You lost yourself in his lips for what seemed like the hundredth time since you met him, and it was his smell that completely intoxicated you. Zayne smelled like safety and comfort, and you were both laughing through the kiss when he suddenly pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, noticing the panicked expression of his face.

“I forgot the eggs!”

You laughed as he ran to his boiled eggs, whining once he saw the eggs had already exploded. He tried to redo them again after scolding you for always distracting him, and the rest of the day was spent cuddling next to each other on his couch while lazily surfing through Netflix. The day passed by in a blur until the sun had already gone down by the time Zayne noticed you yawning in his arms.

He kissed your cheek, hands lazily making circles at your hip. “You wanna sleep, baby?” You hummed in response, and he carried you effortlessly back to his bed before snuggling under the covers with you. 

You played with his hand, a small smile gracing your face as you placed it flat against his, and realizing his hands were bigger than yours. Zayne had several moles in his fingers that you loved, and he watched in silence as you admired his fingers. Moments like this were what he lived for, to see you happy and comfortable, but he couldn’t stop himself from uttering his next words.

“Will I ever have you?”

You paused, dropping his hand to the bed. Silence consumed the air as your eyes grew distant and Zayne started to wonder if what he said was wrong.

“One day,” you promised quietly, looking back into his eyes with a kindness you’d always kept hidden as your fingers started to comb through his hair. Zayne closed his eyes at the gesture. “You will. Just wait for me when you do.”

He nodded. “I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”

“I know.”

“I love you.”

You didn’t answer back.

Zayne wasn’t surprised when he didn’t see you for the next two months. 

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭

“I know, and you love me anyway.”

Zayne playfully glare at you, and you laughed, only to choke afterwards because of the pain that shot down at your body. Groaning, you rested your head back into the pillows, his scolding voice now back. “What happened to you?”

At his question, you closed your eyes contentedly, blindly pulling his hand back to your lips. “It doesn’t matter.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” He snarled, “You got shot–”

You opened your eyes, looking at him with so much happiness that you found difficult to contain. “What matters is that I’m all yours now.”

Zayne stilled, pausing in the act of bandaging you up. You expected him to be happy, but you almost sat up in worry when a tear fell from his eye as he stared at you grimly. “Zayne, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he cried, wiping at his tears before finishing your bandages up quickly and crushing you into a hug, still careful not to hurt you. “I just–are you serious?”

“Yeah! I’m free from the gang.” You pulled away to look back at him, wiping his tears away even as he laughed to say the words he’d always been waiting to hear, “I love you too.”

How fitting, you thought, that Zayne was a doctor, because he had stitched up all the broken and missing parts of you together until he made you whole. And it was his stitches and kisses that brought you back to life.

[pinkiemachine]

Alright @newtonnote ! This one’s for you!

STORYTIME!! (spoilers)

So, starting off, forming this new team was Tim’s idea. The OG Teen Titans had been drifting apart for a while, Cyborg was a member of the Justice League, and it looked as though the whole “Teen Titans” thing was gonna be shelved indefinitely until Tim came along with the idea for the old crew to form Young Justice instead, and he would reboot the TT.

Now, the first TT was not sanctioned. It was a spontaneous thing that happened more or less behind Batman’s back, but this time around, the Justice League had more of a say in the matter. Hence, all the sidekicks.

At the beginning of the NTT run, the only members are: Tim/Robin (founding member), Spoiler (invited herself), Miss Martian (Martian Manhunter volunteered her), Aqualad II (Aquaman volunteered him), and Wonder Girl II (volunteered by Wonder Woman). All the Justice Leaguers think it’ll be a good bonding and training experience for them, because they’re all a bunch of anti-social/socially awkward beans in their own ways. Tim likes the idea of leading the NTT, but soon realises he just might prefer working alone (if you want something done right, do it yourself) but he’s stuck in this situation now, so there’s not much he can do about it! XD Miss Martian is from Mars and she’s still learning all about every day teenagering, and can get very nervous about fitting in and can’t stand when she messes up. Wonder Girl (who I decided will only be called Olympia AFTER her time as Wonder Girl II) is a homeschooled girly (or, she *was* while her mother was an archeologist) but now she’s being forced out of her comfort zone and having to make friends for her stupid mental health, or whatever Wonder Woman said she had to do… meh… It’s not like she doesn’t want friends, it’s just that it’s so much work to make new ones. Then there’s Aqualad. He’s an interesting case, because no one else can seem to really understand him. He’s quiet, painfully practical, and almost emotionless. He doesn’t really do “chit chat” or “making friends.” He’s simply here following orders from Aquaman, and trying to be a “good soldier.” Steph/Spoiler is the only person keeping them all together.

The team’s first mission is in Atlantis, something super small scale that Aquaman picked out for them—almost laughably easy stuff. But while they’re in the underwater city, they happen to get their fortunes told by a fortune-teller lady. She says that someone in their team will betray them. Dun dun dun.

Not very long after that, the NTT get an alert that there’s a meteor headed straight into the ocean nearby! When they go to investigate, turns out it’s not a meteor, but a space ship. Inside, they find Kon El. He’s taken back to the Hall of Justice for questioning and other such scrutiny, but questions abound. (This happens after the Death of Superman, and Kara and Krypto are in outer space taking care some other stuff, which Batman thinks is suspicious timing.) So, without the only other Kryptonians around to verify this new guy’s legitimacy, they have to rely on his word and a DNA test for the time being. Kon-El claims that he was just one of the few lucky survivors after the end of Krypton, and when he heard that Superman was living on earth, he came as quickly as he could. Imagine his surprise when he was told that Superman was dead.

With nowhere else to go, he was allowed to stay with the NTT, as he adjusted to life on Earth. Kon-El decides to take up the secret identity name of Conner, and he decides that, if he should pass the Justice League’s tests and become a beginer superhero (which he does) then he wants to be called the next Superman. But the name doesn’t stick, and everyone winds up calling him Superboy instead, which irks him. All the while, that little prophecy the team had been told is hanging in the air.

Then—BLAM—the NTT’s first major fiasco happens! BLACK MANTA. He’s come for revenge, and to reclaim… Aqualad… his son? Dun dun dun! The backstabbing, just as it was foretold! And surprisingly, Aqualad goes with him! Now, to cut a long story short, here’s the skinny: When Aqualad (Kaldur) was a little toddler, he was present when Aquaman fought his father Black Manta, driving him away from Atlanits for a while, and accidentally killing his mother in the chaos. Aquaman felt so horrible that he decided to take Kaldur in and raise him at the palace. All the while, though, Kaldur seemed to be growing up a little… strange. Because of the shock he went into, witnessing all of that, his brain chose to react by almost shutting down all emotion. He was sleepwalking through life, too young to make sense of what had happened, and by the time he was old enough to understand, it was such a blur that he could barely remember any details. He accepted Aquaman’s hospitality, he entered the royal guard after a certain point, working his way up to becoming Aqualad, but through it all, the only reason he was doing it was because he was told to. He was told to learn to fight, because he was told he had an aptitude for it. He was told he could become Aqualad, so he accepted. And so on. But he never had any agency in those decisions. Life was happening to him. Around him. Never inside him. So when Black Manta came, telling him to leave the NTT and join him instead, Kaldur accepted.

Eventually, after a long and meaningful journey, the NTTs are able to get through to Kaldur, and essentially “wake him up.” For the first in his life, he was going to choose what he wanted to do, and what he wanted to do was protect his friends and his home from Black Manta. Double-double-cross! So Aqualad comes back to the NTT, Black Manta’s defeated, the prophecy (we presume) has come to pass, and Kaldur is actually a little excited to continue his journey with his new friends.

After that… I haven’t decided whose story is next, so we’ll leave that space blank for the moment, but I know whose story comes third! After the grande finale of (whoever, either Wonder Girl or Miss Martian) their story, there’s suddenly a time travel anomaly! A certain someone with big hair comes tumbling out of the time-stream—and it’s BART! aka IMPULSE!

So the next arc is all about Bart. He’s come back in time to warn the Justice League to prevent a horrible future from happening! One where planet Earth was invaded by an alien race called The Reach. Only problem is, not long after arriving, the Reach themselves travel back in time and try to capture Bart! They grab him, and are about to time travel back to the future, when the rest of the NTT grab onto them and stow away, sending them all beyond the Justice League’s help.

The Reach timeline is a grim existence. They invaded sneakily at first, posing as allies, but over time, they revealed their true colours. They were a nomad society, flying in one massive ship around the galaxy after their home planet was destroyed, going from planet to planet gathering resources. When they got to Earth, they discovered more than just water and minerals and crops… they discovered human beings, and their “Meta Gene.” No other known races in the universe possess this seemingly magic gene that grants superpowers, and once the Reach realised its true potential… they couldn’t just leave well enough alone. They schemed and they lied and they manipulated the human race so easily, they fell within a matter of years, and once they were in control, they started the Meta Human black market, where they would study Meta “Specimens” and/or sell them to other unsavoury alien races.

Where was the Justice League? Why didn’t they do anything? Batman was the first to suspect them, long before things turned bad. However, during his investigation, he was discovered by the Reach, and he was silenced. One by one, they found ways to lure, trick, manipulate, or just plain overpower many heroes, such as Superman and Wonder Woman, but they didn’t just kill them. No, no. Their central hubs were known as Mothercities. Entirely technofitted, entirely run by AI, entirely for the purpose of breading and raising and harvesting humans. The AI at the helm was a super advanced AI named Arcturus. The thing that made him so advanced was that he didn’t rely on normal computers for hardware and processing power. The Reach, as a whole, prefer biotech, and so what Arcturus used instead… was the human mind itself. By harvesting even a few dozen human beings, a massively powerful AI could be sustained, and the more minds you add, the bigger, badder, and faster it gets. Arcturus loooooved Batman and Wonder Woman’s minds, so full of processing power and knowledge about the planet, and the Reach were enthralled with studying Superman’s Kryptonian biology, being a member of an endangered species and all. Soon, they had built the Byway, a massive space station in Earth’s orbit, specifically for the black market’s selling and buying, and through it all, the Green Lanterns were nowhere in sight. Leaving Earth to believe they had been abandoned.

Over time, things just kept getting worse and worse. The superheroes kept on fighting, but with every victory came two losses. Then some of the Reach’s AI programs began going rampant. Some went straight up crazy, bombing as many locations as they could, or blasting themselves into space. Others changed allegences, to other countries or to the Resistance, but the most powerful—Arcturus chief among them—remained loyal to the Reach. All in all, it left Earth a tattered mess. To top it all off, Starfire, Princess of Tamaran, died trying to protect Earth, and the Tamaraneans were so livid… well… They called it “Skyfall.” A mixture of starbolts and space debris sent falling down onto the planet’s surface. Many Reach cities were destroyed… but many bases belonging to the Resistance were also hit.

Countless heroes were either harvested or killed during the years this took place over, but the few who remained made Atlantis their final stronghold. Including The Flash’s son, Don Allen, and his son, Bart Allen. Now, sadly, even though Bart was young, he was tasked with being a member of the American Meta Human Army due to the fact that he had a superpower. This would prove to be a terrible mistake, because during Skyfall, where Bart was present trying to evacuate refugees, he slipped up, and was captured by a Reach Harvester. For an entire year, he was plugged in to Arcturus’ mainframe, and boy did Arcturus love having a mind that could think so fast. He loved it so much that when Don Allen and a rescue team came to break Bart out, he swore that he would do everything in his power to get Bart back.

From that time on, Bart was not required to fight. Instead, he stayed with his father and his father’s cousin, Wally West, who were on the verge of a breakthrough. Time Travel, using the Speedforce. If this worked, they could undo everything. Fix Earth. Save their loved ones. Don and Bart were charged with the task of going back in time and warning the Justice League, but only Bart made it through. Don stayed behind to fend off a surprise attack from a group of Harvesters. Bart alone traveled to the past, where he met the New Teen Titans and the Justice League. But of course, after capturing Don Allen, a fellow speedster, the Reach were eventually able to figure out how to use the Speedforce for time travel as well, and used it to go after Bart.

Back to where we left off in the story:

Everyone was sucked into the Reach Timeline, and the NTT found themselves in a Mothercity, completely outmatched. Miss Martian and Aqualad were harvested almost instantly, Robin and Wonder Girl got caught shortly after that, and the only members who were able to escape into the lower levels of the city were Superboy, Spoiler, and Bart, who might have been able to prevent all of that from happening… if he hadn’t been so afraid. Ever since coming out of Arcturus, he’d been different, and mortally terrified of technology—any kind of technology. Now, though, if they were going to rescue their friends and get back to the present, he would need face his greatest fear one more time.

Now, I’ve thought about this story so much, and written so much down, I could go on for another 40 pages, but I’ll spare you each and every minute detail.

Yes, they rescue their friends eventually. They wind up breaking out of the Mothercity and joining the Resistance back in Atlantis. There’s a big final battle against the Reach and Arcturus—they go up into space and discover that the Green Lanterns hadn’t abandoned them, the Reach had simply been holding planet Earth hostage and forming a blockade, severely limiting what the Green Lanterns could and couldn’t do, and keeping them at arm’s length for years, though they were trying everything they could think of to save Earth. But now, things had changed. Sneaking the Green Lanterns onto the planet, the fight was finally fair, and they were about to beat Arcturus once and for all…

But then he pulled out one last dirty trick. He put his AI consciousness into a chip in Don Allen’s mind, effectively controlling him and using him to go back in time to prevent Bart from ever being rescued in the first place. The NTT chased him down through the timestream, but in the end, they realised that there was only one way to stop him. Only one way to stop a speedster. Bart looked away when it happened.

When they finally returned to the present, Bart was with them (their only means of returning to their time) and he was forced to keep living… but he couldn’t bear to remember everything. So he asked for his memories to be wiped. Thus began his new life with the NTT, as a new Bart Allen. (But those memories weren’t completely gone…)

Then begins Superboy’s arc. In the days following their little “time travel adventure,” Conner had been acting strange. He’d been disappearing a lot too. Eventually, it was discovered that Conner was secretly working with Lex Luthor. When the NTT found out, they were shocked. Conner had been a little wild and a little aggressive, but he was their friend. They told jokes, they stayed up late talking, they saved each other’s lives over and over again, and… now that his secret was out, he wanted them to know that he was sorry… but he couldn’t say no to his father. Lex.

Conner had been made in a lab, using spliced DNA from Superman and Lex Luthor. Superman’s powers + Lex Luthor’s brains. After countless failures, finally Conner was born. He was trained and “programmed” (as Lex called it) to covertly get close to the Justice League, learn their weaknesses, and ultimately be the force that brought them down from the inside. Then, Lex would frame it as though the Justice League had gone rogue, and his invention—his synthetic Heroes for Hire—had saved the day. Not only would HIS version of Superman become famous, he’d also get rich. But Conner… he was a lot more human than Lex ever gave him credit for. Ever since being born, all Conner wanted was some kind of affection from his father, but Lex made it very clear that he was not, and would never be, Conner’s father. Lex was Conner’s creator. His manufacturer. Conner was a product. Property. Nothing more. But secretly, Conner still wanted to impress him and please him, so he went along with his mission eagerly.

While he was away, he learned about Superman, his “other father.” He was crushed when he discovered he was dead, because for a moment he had thought that maybe he would be able to find a father figure in him instead… but it was not to be. Instead, he often found himself sitting alone in front of the Superman memorial statue at the Hall of Justice, talking to it for hours. Filling him in on how his life was going… imagining what it would be like to have a real dad… most of all, he told him about his new friends, and how… he didn’t want to betray them, but he didn’t want to betray Luthor more. He was sure that if he completed his mission, he’d get what he was after.

Flash forward, and the NTT were captured for discovering Conner’s secret, and the plan to take down the Justice League was in place, about to begin, and Conner looked to Luthor, hoping to hear some kind of encouragement, only to be reminded that he was just property. He did as he was told by Luthor, or he would be terminated and replaced by anther clone. But the cherry on top was when Luthor presented something to Connor. A Blue Scarab Beetle. The AI powered supersuit parasite that the Reach use to enslave their mightiest warriors. How did Luthor get his hands on this one? Conner had no idea, but the fact that Luthor wanted to use it on Conner… that was what finally convinced him that Luthor really wasn’t ever going to care about him, let alone love him. Now, thankfully the Scarab didn’t activate when presented to Conner, so that idea was a bust, but Luthor still had control over Conner with a kill-switch he could flip at any moment, so Superboy was forced to continue with the plan, fearing that there was nothing he could do. He really was nothing more than property. He was half of Lex Luthor, a villain, and he was about to do the unthinkable to his friends because of it.

That’s when Superman came back. The full story takes place with the Justice League, but there’s a crossover here. Superman comes back, totally scaring the living daylights out of Lex and foiling his plan, and in the end, he convinces Conner to join the light side by promising to protect him from anything Luthor would try to do to him. He was a good person inside, and he had people he cared about, and wanted to protect. Superman just helped bring out that side of him. When all was said and done, Luthor was defeated, and Conner’s kill-switch was destroyed. He was free to actually live. He was so excited to do all the things he thought he’d never be able to do, and to keep his friends! Most of all, he was excited to learn from his “big brother” Superman (though to himself, he still thought of Supes as a father) and he couldn’t wait to start making up for all the bad stuff he did. He didn’t care what he had to do to make things right—he was just happy he had the chance to! And of course, there was his budding relationship with Miss Martian… two awkward little alien beans…

So those are the most fleshed out stories I’ve got, but beyond that, Tim and Steph are a power couple—he’s the dark, she’s the light, he’s the calm, she’s crazy, and they’re amazing together. Wonder Girl II I’m still thoroughly exploring and learning about her character, and Miss Martian goes through a whole identity crisis as she tries to determine who she wants to be, because she’s spent her whole life trying to please other people, and be the girl they wanted her to be. Conner helps her discover herself on her journey.

I hope that wasn’t too much info… sorry if I buried you a little… but trust me…. this is the condensed version. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

[gremlingottoosilly]

Under the Christmas tree [dark!141 x fem!Reader] (Secret Santa fic)

Secret Santa gift for @crash-and-live 141 had a wonderful time taking their combat medic to be their captive barracks bunny instead. Now, the Sergeants have decided you will make a wonderful gift for their COs. CW and Tags: Dub-con, poly!141, inappropriate celebration of Christmas, power imbalance, bondage, slight BDSM.

Gaz was always an expert on knots. 

Fancy little ribbons and bows – not so much. He prides himself on being suspiciously quick to adapt to the changing environment, yes, but learning how to tie bows when your little captive is acting just a tad bit dismissive towards the whole idea is…hard. Not as hard as hanging down the rope on a moving helicopter, but…

— Come, luv. Stop strugglin’ 

He smiles, all teeth and no lies, when you – his favorite medic, the best thing ever happening to this bloody team – started meowling something about the circulation and cutting off the bloodstream and how you don’t exactly like not only being held in the basement of the base but also being tied up…he looks at you and just knows he can’t resist booping you on the nose, kissing your perfect fuckin cheeks while Soap already has his hands in your hair, gently brushing it to put even more ribbons and bows. Red, just like on a Christmax gift. 

You’re a bloody gift. 

— I ken ye don’t like sittin’ like this, but Lt needs pick me up, aye? 

Soap smiles when you struggle just a bit more, your tied hands brushing against his stomach as you slowly buck your hips back. Trying to get just a tiny bit of stimulation, sneaky little lass – this is why he loves you, so smart and so adorably dumb at the same time. The best thing that ever happened to them is that you still act like you don’t enjoy being their shared chewing toy. They can agree it’s just a bit of a stretch from your previous working environment but hell, at least you’re not being shot at. Johnny’s hand gently moves from your head to your neck, adjusting the little red bow he made from the ribbons. They tried so hard to find the softest ever ribbons without a sharp edge and material that could cut off the circulation – even though Kyle was still doing his favorite knots that rendered you absolutely defenseless. You lick your lips and try to rock from side to side, making the ribbons a bit more loose – it doesn’t work, of course. Not like your team ever wanted you to have a say in their perverse desires, right? 

You fell into the Stockholm syndrome quite easily, especially since they were so stuck on always respecting your wishes(except for letting you out, of course) and never forcing anything too harsh…up until now, apparently. Making sure you’re on your best behavior because it’s Christmas, they have a small table set up – beer, whiskey, some snacks that you naively put on because you’re still not allowed to cook, and they don’t really care for home-cooked meals – and your shaking form, twisted in a somewhat sexy pose all because they needed a little Christmas present for their CO’s. 

Gaz brushes his hand on your tummy, gently pushing it down – you were prepared, of course, so much lube was out in your glossy folds, with Soap’s mouth buried deep between your legs, until you felt you’re going to pass out from the sheer amount of orgasm he was edging out of you. There is a reason why Johnny isn’t allowed to eat you out when Ghost isn’t around – his self-control is non-existent when push comes to your cunt and the tongue he can shove in. 

You feel like you’re going to burst when you finally hear the door opening. When you finally hear Captain – his tired, gruff voice, the way Ghost’s jacket silently hits the ground as they start to undress. Usually, you’re made to greet them with kisses and your soft lips on their cocks if they feel particularly tired. Usually, you’re made to wait for them in the bedroom, with their sergeants gently playing with you because, of course, you’re the property of all four of them, no matter the power dynamic. 

Nothing is usual now – you’re laying under a Christmas tree, naked and aroused, your pussy is all puffy and swollen from Soap’s tongue, your body is tied up with red ribbons Gaz was using. You want to be good for them, and so you lay here, hoping your obedience will be enough for a few more climaxes. Ghost is the first to put his hands on you. 

Kneading your breasts, gently forcing his rough fingers on your exposed nipples, you’re so sweet for him, so perfect, laid out like a beautiful gift – he can only groan in arousal as he slowly pushes the ribbons from your chest, taking in the view of your hardened buds and bite marks – evidence of Kyle taking his mark while he was tying you up. You might have been apprehensive about the whole idea, but you’re playing the role of a gift perfectly – just like you should. 

— Bloody hell, love. So pretty for us. 

— She was such a good girl for us, Lt. Didnae even resisted much. ~ — Is that right, sweetheart? 

You can only nod, your mouth stuffed with a pretty gag – you’re drooling all around it, looking fucking adorable as you try and look as harmless as possible. No reason to provoke them now when they already made it clear just how many orgasms they are going to take from you tonight. 

Ghost smiles under his mask, his hands moving to play with your lower tummy, squeezing the soft flesh and teasing your folds – you’re soft and pliable for them, spread out like a perfect toy. The most desirable thing they could ever find under a Christmas tree.

Price caresses your face with a softness you didn’t know a man of his position could have. He kisses you, and his whiskers tickle your soft skin – you aren’t sure if you can even handle him being so damn gentle about everything. He laughs as you try to wiggle out of Ghost’s grasp, their hands laying on your body – bruises and marks are scattered across your skin, making you the perfect canvas. Gosh, you’re beautiful – John doesn’t even know what they did to deserve such a little treat. — Such a pretty display for us, eh? 

— Sergeants outdid themselves this time. 

— You bet they did. Are you goin’ to behave for us, love? 

Price smiles when you whimper, spreading your legs like a pretty toy. Ghost already pushing you to the ground, forcing his way in between your thighs – you’re so open for them, vulnerable to the tip of his cock pressing in your folds already. Soap did a good job eating you out, even Simon’s cock won’t be too much – not after the way Gaz was spreading you on three of his fingers, smiling with each of your little attempts at moans. You know the night is going to be long.

[hitoshiyoshi]

birds of a feather | takami keigo

synopsis ↬ keigo adores your wings

warnings ↬ none ! a short idea of hawks and a winged reader, a few swear words

pairings ↬ takami keigo x winged!vigilante!reader

word count ↬ 4.5k

Working in Kyushu, Keigo was not a stranger to the impressive and unique quirks possessed by its citizens. Some strange and practically useless while others seemed to the epitome of wasted potential. He learned this all from observing the bustling city while perched at the highest points of skyscrapers. Staring down with his golden orbs, hidden from the view of cameras and nosy civilians. It felt refreshing to take a break. To exhale the stresses of the day and reminisce on his failures while hoping that tomorrow would be better. His red wings, although covered under the dark night sky, seemed to glow as they tucked into his body.

Keigo watched and waited for a call of despair. Someone to bring him out of his thoughts as he swooped down to aid them. Yet it never came, and for one night he could rest peacefully.

The morning soon approached, and he found himself lounging in Endeavor’s office. For the first time, his heavy wings seemed reluctant to unfold and fly to his destination. He didn’t want to return to the headquarters of Commission, that could wait until later. Keigo’s role model didn’t seem too pleased with his sudden desire to distract himself from work. He would’ve forced the young hero out of his office, but knowing how persistent Keigo is, Endeavor allowed him to stay.

Until the flatscreen television hanging on the brown walls began flashing with breaking news:

‘School Attacked by a Lone Villain in Kyushu. Students And Nearby Residents Injured’

Keigo could feel the blazing heat erupting from the skin of the older hero as they both watched on, stunned. A chilling sense of guilt erupted through his spirit. While the town he swore to protect was crumbling, he was nowhere present. A news anchor reported that the heroes in the area were in need of assistance and the Number 2 hero was missing. Unlike his usual demeanor, Keigo was too transfixed on the bright screen to listen to his surroundings. The young hero that seemed to take life too 'fast' found his wings bound and stiff, scared yet unmotivated to move.

“Endeavor, the heroes in Kyushu are requesting back up!” A lime-green haired sidekick burst through the door unannounced. The flames on her head flickered in distress and anguish. “There are reports of more villains in the area!”

“Got it. Dispatch the other sidekicks to Kyushu.” Endeavor turned his head towards Keigo, who was surprisingly still resting in his office. “Hawks? Hawks...?”

Calling the avian hero’s name was a waste; the words went in one of his ears and out the other. Instead, his eyes were glued to the screen. As every second passed, there were new images and updates appearing. Keigo’s shattering heart failed to take notice of Endeavor’s presence. His wings began to seize up briefly; they weren't moving but felt as if they were constricting his lungs.

As he soon began to reawaken from his thoughts of self-loathing, a picture emerged on the television that regained his attention — even making the flame hero next to him stare on in curiosity:

There you were, arms full and clutching numerous children as you escaped the burning school behind them. Each of them clung to your body in desperation as if it would be their last day. You pulled them closer to you in a painfully tight embrace while shielding them from the explosion behind, too scared that they would somehow injure themselves. As the image zoomed out, he felt his heart jitter at the sight of falling feathers coming off your back.

Your wings expanded and stretched out covering the students in your arms. The size could easily compete with his own; Keigo was certain that you surpassed him in width. You were holding them mid-flight, suspended in the air and fleeing from chaos. He didn’t understand why your face filled with an expression of pain until he noticed orange patches of flames cover some of your feathers. He knew from his own experience that they would eventually turn to ashes, but you didn’t seem to care.

In the photo, your face was covered by the dust and rubble of exploding debris. Your head tilted downwards, only displaying a large frown and gritted teeth. Some wounds on your body gushed with blood — a sharp contrast to the children who were unscathed under the shield of your wings. Only your body, which unnaturally contorted in an oddly graceful position, could be seen clearly. Your clothing was a cheaply made costume. It was quite obvious that you weren't a professional or well-known, but your movements showed nothing but pure skill.

The news aired more videos of the attack, your wings were the center of attention for Keigo's eyes. After rescuing the children in your arms, you immediately flew back into the school. Moving too fast for the camera, too fast for Keigo to see your face and majestic movements. Only a blur of your wings was captured by the cameras. You kept going, although your body ached. While the heroes in Kyushu were too busy keeping the villains at bay, your prime focus became saving the lives of the children.

Endeavor's fingers wrapped tightly around Keigo's arm before shaking him violently to pull him out of his trance. He shouted at the younger man and dragged him from his seat to accompany the rest of his sidekicks on their quick trip to Kyushu.

As his wings braced the harsh sky, they flew with an unknown sense of vigor. Soaring past tall skyscrapers that blocked his route to your destination. A glimmer of red was the only thing caught by the eyes of passersby. Keigo desperately wanted to know your identity and see you flying in person.

When he landed on the scene, one of the first heroes to arrive, the cries of some injured civilians first caught his attention. Red feathers plucked from his wings hooked under each person, raising them off the ground, and taking them to safety. Endeavor, his sidekicks, and other heroes dealt with the villains causing terror while Keigo and a few others prioritized rescue. Bustling to try and aid every wounded person, he couldn’t help but search for your majestic wings in the process.

You were no where to be found.

Vanishing into the cloudy sky once you finished your duties of the day. You made sure every single student was cared for and taken out of the building to a safe location. As if his luck was nonexistent, you took off just as he landed. If his gaze was focused on the clouds, he would’ve seen you floating above them like an angel.

The rescue finished with ease and all of the villains responsible were captured. Another routine day on the job for the others, but not for Keigo. The image of your expanded wings covering the children replayed in his mind over again, making a chill run down his spine and causing his wings to shudder. Of course, he wasn’t the only being mesmerized by your heroic performance.

From the media, to hero agencies looking to scout you, and to the parents of the students you saved wanting to thank you; everyone was transfixed on learning about the new avian hero. You were the first to arrive before anyone else, faster than Keigo who received harsh criticism for his disappearance. There was no hero name assigned to you and every single picture of you in action had your blurred your face.

The headlines of the news for the following days of the attack only focused on you:

‘Unknown Hero Bravely Rescues Students from Blazing Building’

‘Has A New Avian Hero Appeared? Shocking Details Emerge of Kyushu’s Next Hero Who Saved Children Resulting in No Casualties’

‘Is The New Winged-Hero Related to Hawks? Reports From Kyushu Believe That They Will Become His Replacement’

Of course, you were now obviously linked with Keigo. His coincidental arrival after your departure only caused these rumors to spread like wildfire. Various ones suggesting that you two were siblings or even married. Neither was true. You’d never met him before, only seeing him on television a few times just like he saw you.

Upon arriving to Commission’s headquarters, Keigo demanded a search for you. At first, they seemed reluctant but seeing his frantic state, they obliged. After extensive searching, finally they managed to retrieve a profile of someone who matched your details to a perfection. The giveaway being your stunning wings outstretched for a mandatory photo displaying your quirk.

Your name, address, age, and birthplace were all accessible for him to see. To his surprise, you weren’t from Kyushu — only passing through the town briefly. Your movements were always sporadic, a new town every few days and rarely captured on camera. Apparently, there were other sightings of your wings during minor altercations with villains or civilians in danger. Yet, you constantly wore a mask that covered your entire face. Then, Keigo realized…

You were a vigilante.

Unlicensed 'heroes' that acted without focusing on the law; no wonder Commission tried to keep you a secret from him. Although you wanted to stay hidden, they managed to collect vast amounts of information about you. Every single detail they could get their hands on. Apparently, they wanted to offer you a position as a hero under them, just like Keigo. To train and mold you under his wing; each display of your actions made them more interested in you.

In exchange, any pending charges on you for your illegal hero work would be erased. There was no way you could refuse, and even if you did, they would keep pressing. You were an opportunity that no one wanted to waste.

Commission last captured you entering a small clinic in Kyushu. Keigo figured you were still in the area, the burns to your wings were too severe for you to ignore. You weren’t seen leaving any exit of the clinic; it was only a matter of time before you flew off into the clouds again.

His wings moved before his mind was set. Unsure of where you were, Keigo knew he had to find you before you disappeared again. It wasn’t possible for you to go far, he thought. The burns on your wings made him wince; it was the enemy of your kind. Flying past the tall skyscrapers and through the dark sky clouding over Kyushu. Keigo’s flaw was being fast, just ‘too fast’. Not even his own sidekicks could keep up.

The clinic was in his view, right under him. A few of his usual fan girls screamed out his name once they saw him land. The Commission would be on him any minute if they knew what he did — a quick greeting before brushing past the eager fans wanting pictures and autographs.

There was no time, you had to be here. Just as he came to the front door, Keigo was spotted by another fan working inside.

“Hawks!? What are you doing here?” A receptionist asked, nearly spilling her drink. “Do you need help?”

“No, no… I’m looking for someone.” Keigo proceeded to tell her about you, your appearance, and the majestic wings that took his breath away.

“They were just here a minute ago. You’re too late. They wanted treatment for their wounds but refused to give identification.”

Too late. The first time he’s ever heard those words used in the same sentence as his name.

“Shit.” The receptionist kept pressing him, but Keigo was already behind. “Thanks, but I need to go.”

As soon as the cold night’s air hit his face, he was in the air. Extending his crimson wings at their full length as he entered the sky. Keigo scanned every corner and rooftop he could. You needed medication for your wings, so you most likely couldn’t fly. It shouldn’t be hard to spot you, if that was the case. The blinding lights of Kyushu strained his tired eyes, he wouldn't have a problem with that on a usual workday.

Where could you be? Always just a few seconds faster than he was, but he couldn't seem to catch up. Keigo pushed through his aching eyes; surely there was no way he would miss you again.

The glimmer of your wings caught his attention first, and then he saw you. They were tightly bandaged together, along with a few scars presumably from when you rescued those kids. You walked down a dark alley between some rundown buildings. Keigo took a chance, swooping down right into the alley with you.

"Hey," You heard Keigo land with a gust of wind sweeping under your feet. He didn't seem to appreciate your refusal to acknowledge him.

"What?" Every time you turned on the television or opened your phone, you saw him. Of course, you knew who he was.

"Gosh, do you know how hard it was to find you, baby bird? You could at least give me a warmer welcome." Keigo smirked up at you with his hand outstretched. Don't tell me he wants a hug or something, you thought.

"What do you want?" The answer to that... he wasn't sure.

"Jus' wanna have a talk with you," He points out to your wounds. "What happened to those pretty wings of yours?"

"Why do you need to know?"

Truthfully, you had no intention being rude to him, but the entire encounter made you feel odd. The flashy heroes like Hawks were the ones you disliked the most. Sure, you could respect them for their dedication and diligence, but something about it was off-putting. You didn't want to sound like Stain — you didn't think they should be killed for it — the legitimacy of their work frustrated you the most.

"I'm sure your aware of the villain attack at the school that occurred a few days ago." His tone changed, no longer sounding as friendly as he did in the beginning. "You were there, weren't you?"

"I was." Those damn reporters and their cameras. Trying to cover your face during the entire time was enough of a problem.

"Then I'm sure your aware vigilantism is illegal."

"I know. I'm willing to take that risk."

"Then let's make this easy for ourselves. I don't want to report you." Feathers fall from his wings, pointed directly at you and ready to act.

"You're really gonna fight me?"

Now, you realize why you have a disdain for heroes like him. They always acted like puppets for the law, who didn't really have a care in the world for them. To risk your life in such a pointless way. Rules are rules, fine. But how could you agree to those regulations when they impeded your morality?

"If I don't have to, I won't." If he tried, it would be over quickly. Your wings can't do much in attack, only for rescues and fleeing. They are bound to your back and if you ran, he would surely catch you.

"Seriously? I don't believe you."

"Why would I try anything? You and I are the same." Keigo didn't want to hurt you, but his job left no choice if you resisted. "I don't believe in kicking a dead man down."

It's not often that he sees someone with the same quirk as him. Keigo won't let such a pretty bird like you slip under his fingers again, just like in the past. He has you here now, and he refuses to let you out of his sight — no matter what happens.

"Then? How do you suggest we solve this?"

"Those wings won't heal if you keep them like that. I know you're trying to treat them on your own." His feathers return to his wings, and he stretches his arms out in a welcoming manner. "If you come with me, I can help heal them."

"No thanks, I'm not stupid enough to fall for that." You start to turn away from him, but he calls for you.

"I'd never tell a lie to you, birdie. I can take you to my house and give you any medicine I have. If you change your mind, just tell me and I'll let you go."

On a normal day, you would've gone home and treated yourself, but these burns were taking forever to heal. It could easily become an infection if you weren't careful. You sighed, bracing yourself for your arrest and the end of your career as a vigilante. Keigo wouldn't let his happiness slip out as you reluctantly nodded along to his agreement.

In a swift move, he lifts you up bridal-style off the ground and takes off into the night again. It's been too long since you had flown, Keigo has pity on you. Although, this was your first time being carried in this way. He was gentle and soared slow enough for you to take in the beauty of the city at night; you've always been 'too fast for your own good'.

Seeing your eyes fill with wonder at the sight of the city, Keigo says, "I take it you don't fly here often?"

"Usually, I don't. I try not to get spotted. Can't really stay in one place for a long time."

"It's a shame, pretty bird. I'm not sure what I would do if I lost my wings like that."

"Whatever, they'll grow back."

"That's not what I mean," He dips down, expanding his wings for a soft landing. "Those who can fly, should fly. We shouldn't keep ourselves trapped to the ground."

Keigo sets you down carefully. He lands just outside a small building in a region of Kyushu that you haven’t explored yet. Scanning the environment, it’s quiet here; the noise of traffic is faint and hardly any citizens walk freely. You can hear the soft sounds of crickets chirping nearby. It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing environment, but it was suitable for the peace Keigo needed.

He leads you to the front door, you two walk to the side of the building. The entrance is tucked away, out of the view of any passersby — although there seemed to be none. Keigo briefly thought about bringing you back to the ‘fake’ apartment Commission gave him when he first started working for them, but the idea was quickly shot down. Who knows if that place had been bugged?

The flights of stairs downwards and the maze of hallways makes your head spin. Ah, fuck. He was probably taking you to some secret place where the police would ambush you or some shit. If it wasn’t obvious to you now, it was certainly over.

When you reach the entrance of his apartment, he fumbles in his pockets for the keys. After unlocking the door, Keigo motions for you to go in first — he was trying to be a gentleman of course. You refused to move though, and he couldn’t blame you. He would be on the edge too if he were you.

He took the first step inside his apartment. The familiar scent of his surroundings made his mind ease, but only for a second.

There were no other people inside, as you previously thought. It didn’t take much to realize this, anyways. The whole apartment lacked something essential, furniture. For such a flashy hero, you were shocked. Surely this wasn’t his. The living room only contained a rug, a small desk on top of it, and a singular cushion for him to sit.

You peek around the corner to find the kitchen, the only appliances are an electric tea kettle and a microwave. There was no need for you to look through his other rooms; you already had an idea of what they might look like.

“Jus’ let me grab my first-aid kit first.” He ushers you to sit down on the soft cushion.

There’s a small night table in the corner of the room. The lamp on the table and ceiling light were the only sources of light in the whole room. His home is located underground, there are no windows. It didn’t seem real at first, you thought he was lying to you.

Keigo opens the drawer and pulls out a first-aid kit. Most of the items have been used, but thankfully you don't need those. Commission purposefully included medication that was needed to help manage his wings.

"It feels like an asylum in here." You manage to say, trying to feel at ease in the cramped space.

"I don't spend much time in here, so I never felt the need to decorate." Keigo walks to you, holding a jar of ointment in his hand.

Carefully, you remove the bandages — some are completely red and damp with blood. When did it get this bad? You were used to enduring the pain, but maybe you took it too far?

"Doesn't it feel lonely in here?"

"Well, not if I've been working all day." Keigo tries to apply the substance to your wings, but he pauses at the sight. It was hard to believe that the once grandiose wings that protected those victims, could get ruined like this. "Dove, you haven't taken good care of yourself..."

His voice sounds... disappointed. You haven't dealt with an injury like this before and your friends, who were also vigilantes, had no idea how to care for you. That was how rare bird-types like you and Hawks were. A once in a lifetime encounter, especially in Kyushu.

"I realize that now..."

"This might hurt a little. I'm all out of painkillers." He really doesn't want to do this, but he's left with no choice. "There's too much blood. They didn't heal properly." A sharp stinging pain erupts in all the places he's plucked your feathers. Keigo places them in a small pile on the ground.

Finally, he can some flesh that's been hiding under your feathers. Raw and charred from the fire. Keigo applies the ointment on his fingertips before massaging it into your skin, gently. Your body tenses up at the uncomfortable feeling, but it isn't anything that you aren't used to. Once he's finished, he wraps the wounded areas in new bandages while allowing for some to breathe.

"Thanks..." You rest on the floor for a while. Keigo puts away all his materials back to their spot.

A few minutes pass; you two have started a new conversation now. He tries to ask more about your personal life, but you gave vague answers. Despite the fact that he was kind enough to heal you, you still couldn't trust him. Keigo makes his home more welcoming for you; there's no need for you to worry about the Commission or police, they don't know about the secret home he's made for himself. In fact, you were the first guest to enter — not even brief hookups or close friends knew.

Keigo was aware that it was wrong. If Commission learned that he allowed a vigilante to become this close to him, they would light a fire under his ass. Yet, he got rush from it all. This whole time, he was worried about his impression on you, but could he even trust you? It wouldn't be a smart choice for you to deceive him under these circumstances. There was something about you that he found exciting — the fact that you were not caged.

Free to stretch your wings as far as they could go without being held back by any institution, Keigo was jealous. Not a care in the world; nothing to hold you back from helping those in need.

Simply being near you gave Keigo a surge of adrenaline that he wanted to be high on, forever. He's already decided that he wants to keep you. After all, he can't help but get what he wants.

When you were finally ready to leave in the morning, he just couldn't accept that. Following you around on his free time like a lost fawn. Didn't he have work to do? He tells you it's all assigned to his sidekicks and someone name Tsukuyomi, there's no need for you to worry. You aren't interested in a friendship. Well, you might’ve considered if he hadn't been so pushy. At first, Keigo claimed it was just a way for him to monitor your progress with healing. But as your feathers grew back over the next few days, fuller than before, he wouldn't budge.

Of course, Commission has kept their eyes on him. It's against the code of conduct for a hero to be aware of a vigilante, but refuse to turn them in. Whichever way he wanted to look at it, the entire relationship shouldn't have gone this far. Surely, he would've been scolded by the Commission at some point. Keigo came up with the perfect lie:

"It's just for work and nothin' else. We could make a great team. It's a good opportunity now that we have been trying to scout them for so long..."

It was true; Commission had their eyes on you for a while now, even willing to overlook your lack of licensing. They were capable of pulling a few strings, just for you. Even considering forging documents and finding loopholes in the system to exploit and have you on their team. Each time, you declined. Keigo had respect for you. He didn't have much of a choice on his outcome in life. He gave you praises for being firm.

All he needed to do was win you over.

His detective skills were immaculate. After you completely healed your wings, you went back to your vigilante work. Thankfully, your schedules were too conflicting for him to keep up. As he was making progress with the League of Villains, he had less time dedicated to you. That took a while, you thought. Now it was all over...

Hawks was one persistent fucker. What he wants, he gets. That was certainly a strong motto to live by. It didn't take long for him to hear news of villain attacks. He always learns of it first; news travels fast, just like him. They all happened to be villains you were fighting and investigating — he really went out of his way to screw up your work. You couldn't do anything with all these heroes around!

Each time, he soared with you in his arms. Pretending as if it was the first time he'd ever flown with you. He knew you could handle yourself at this point, but he just wouldn't let go this time. Scooping you up like a damsel in distress. You tried to slap his arms away, but he wouldn't budge. Even if it was difficult for him to fly with your heavy wings taking most of the space, Keigo didn't mind. Fed up, you slapped his chest and ordered him to put you down:

"Hawks! Put me down! God, why can't you leave me alone?" This time, you yell into his chest as he pulls you tighter to him.

"There's a simple answer for that, dove. I want to say that we're the same. But that's just not true, you're more resilient than me." Keigo slows down and lands on top of the highest point of a tall, skyscraper. He won't give up and release you, though. "Birds of a feather, gotta stick together, right?"

[sweetestflow3rs]

NPC DIVE-IN || Cody the Messenger

"Holding you, they brush aside a streak of their blue hair. They seem almost familiar, but you can’t place why as you gaze deeply into their bright, golden eye. You think to yourself if this is how angels are supposed to look like."

SONG INSIGHT: life of the party by the weeknd - ruler of my heart by alien stage - sex party by left boy

Cody is a Person of Interest / NPC that can be found usually at Harvest Street in Landry's Pub. Cody will usually be seen behind the bar, bartending and serving customers there. To regular PCs, he just serves drinks, but to PCs with recognized fame and a criminal record, Cody is actually an information broker.

Once unlocked, Cody's mechanic is that he serves as a form of contractual employer who will provide the PC different tasks / "side quests" to go on that vary based on the PC's Fame, being able to earn large amounts of money for completing it successfully. At the risk of also increasing your criminal record exponentially.

However, failing at the tasks Cody gives the PC can have its consequences, too.

While Cody himself comes off as someone more relaxed than most, one thing Cody takes pride in is his work for the reputation he has built from it. The PC messing up looks bad on him, yet, at first, he plays it off as if everything is alright. Apologizing to the PC for giving them such a hard task, telling them to take it easy for the night and go to bed. But, the morning they wake up, the PC will sudden have an infamy in their Rape, Monster, Pregnancy, Sex and Prostitution fame with an increase of NPC Stalking Encounters. Cody has now spread false info and gossip about the PC as a consequence for failing.

And the punishment does not end there, as to return everything back to normal, the PC has to make it up to Cody. Which, of course, he will compensate them with a decent pay. The punishment varies depending on Cody's stats:

Low Love & Low Respect: Take on a risky job that can lock them into a soft bad end if they fail it.

Low Love & High Respect: Go to visit clients in a meeting with Cody who he allows to grope and fondle the PC, but intervenes if they try to push it further than just grabbing.

Decent Love & Low Respect: Forced to wear a revealing outfit and work a night shift at the Pub, advertising the Pub to people outside and serving drinks to guests inside. Cody records the entire thing while laughing, but intervenes if customers try to take advantage

Decent Love & High Respect: Will take them into a small room in the Pub, where there are horrific levels of paperwork scattered around. The PC has to sort them out for hours.

High Love & High Lust: Will take them into a small room in the Pub and overstimulate the PC into multiple orgasms until they pass out, laughing when they wake up

While Cody is a risky NPC to engage with, his mechanic does serve its benefits. With High Love & High Respect, the PC can unlock:

Cody's Apartment in the Barb Street Flats as a new safehouse.

Getting to join Cody on errands ( "dates" ) and unlocking unique interaction encounters with Cody bringing the PC to hang out either in Eden's cabin with him, or Bailey's Apartment, seeing rare moments of almost 'normalcy' from the two antagonists.

Cody being a figure to vent at to reduce stress and trauma. Low Love & Low Respect can do this too, but Cody will spread your info around which can affect the PC's stats with certain NPCs depending on what they said

If kidnapped or sold to Eden, during his weekly visits to them, if Cody sees a high stress & trauma PC there, he will try to convince Eden to lessen up on them and let them roam around again. He can only do this once, after that? His hands are tied.

After a year in-game, Cody will ask if the PC wants to 'shake things up'. Dependent on willpower, will either be tasked to cause hell for the criminal underground OR earn rank in the criminal underground ( both have varying "end" results and cannot be forgotten once accepted )

RANDOM TRIVIA & LORE

Cody is someone known to make a joke of everything, carrying a smile on his face. Almost nonchalant, with how sarcastic and mocking he can be.

Actually someone who thrives on chaos & causing it. He enjoys stirring up drama and trouble, and enjoys poking at the spots he knows upsets people the most. His mocking behavior is even worse, with how cruel he can be in the worst situations due to his nihilistic tendencies

His Respect stat dictates in what manner he treats the PC. Those with low respect, he tends to see as someone not capable enough, treating them in almost 'adoring' fashion, but it is in fact degrading and at times, dehumanizing. He tends to toss them around more.

High Respect means that Cody sees this person as an equal, and is more willing to give them insights on the personal workings of the town, giving them more responsibilities. While he still enjoys tossing around the PC in his hand, they now have the opportunity to make demands out of him too

Cody is a former orphan from the Orphanage. As a child, Bailey and Eden were considered to be like his older siblings, with how much time he spent with them.

Was there to witness Bailey's rise to power, the removal of the previous Caretaker, and the fallout between Eden and Bailey.

Part of the first generation of orphans that Bailey demanded debt repayment. Used to steal & work at the spa & do drag performances to make ends meet

A former delinquent & popular kid. Often skipped class to smoke weed in either the bathroom or rooftop.

Was classmates & bestfriends with Wren and Niki. Niki and Cody used to even date for awhile. Niki still regrets the breakup

Got kidnapped into the Underground Farm before it was as developed it is now before even Harper was employed, and was considered Remy's "favorite". Often SA'd by them personally, until they managed to escape.

Blamed Bailey for it, and let them knew how much it upset him. Saying it would've never happened if Bailey wasn't constantly demanding work from him, saying he was just as bad as the last caretaker. ( He apologized after awhile )

Joined the Temple in some hope of security. Actually was in there for awhile, and had a high position of authority, his halo proving that. But, Cody became disillusioned from the Temple's methods & passivity within the town after a bit.

Despite this, still kept his halo to spite the Temple. He felt that with his 'corrupt' lifestyle, with his halo still ever present, it spits on the 'good values' the Temple tries to preach to others.

Due to his previous authority in the Temple, and his high ranked divinity, the PC can actually go to Cody for certain Temple services like confession & asking for removal of the Fallen Angel TF

Broke off his bonds with Wren & Niki after they told him about accepting jobs from Remy when they knew what happened to him. It put a huge dent in their friendship. His now closest friends / "found family" is Bailey and Eden.

Paid off his debt with Bailey a month before he graduated high school, having started his information broking career during this era.

Is secretly very wealthy due to his career, though no one would ever guess from how he dresses and act.

His favorite dish is kwek kwek. Cody tends to prefer sweet & savory food, and has a big preference on street dishes.

Ethnically Puerto Rican & Brazilian

Is 6'2" / 187cm

Not everyone knows Cody's drag look, so he uses it to his advantage to pry information from others. Especially if they have a preference towards feminine company.

Mentors Noel ( my other NPC ). Was the one to convince to get matching pierced ears.

Has piercings all over his body & a venom piercing on his tongue. The day he feels like removing his chastity cage, he plans on getting a dick piercing.

[unhappycylinder]

Hi can you pls write more goose x reader, and also just pls come back!

Take Care of Yourself, Okay?

Nick "Goose" Bradshaw x fem!Reader

WC: 2.2k

Warnings: Angst, break-ups, mutual pining, Thanksgiving & Christmas mentioned, more angst

Summary: When Y/n’s heart breaks under the weight of loving a man always just out of reach, she’s ready to walk away — until Nick shows up on her doorstep on Christmas Eve, begging for one last chance to make things right.

Thank you sm for this request, Anon <3 <3 And thank you for your patience while I wrote this little piece for the Holidays!

The light from your tv illuminated the living room, straining your already tired eyes. Every noise snapped your attention to the phone on the side table, anxiety halting your every breath as you desperately tried to relax on the couch. 

Nick was supposed to call…it was Thanksgiving after all…but as the time approached 10 pm you began to believe that call may never come. 

Carrying around the burden of missing him was hard, and each day that passed without a word allowed doubt to creep a little deeper into your heart. 

By the time the phone actually rang, the sound of the crowd cheering on Oprah combined with your exhaustion made you think you were hallucinating. By the fifth ring, you were scrambling to answer, heart pounding as you pressed the phone to your ear. 

“Hey,” his voice came through, crackling slightly, but unmistakably him.

A wave of relief washed over you, but it was quickly replaced with frustration and hurt.

“I was beginning to think I'd never hear from you,” you chuckled slightly, trying to bring your heart rate down.

“I know it’s been a while,” he sighed. “They’re working us pretty hard out here.”

“I know.” You gripped the receiver tightly, your  knuckles whitening as you forced a smile he couldn’t see. “I just… Happy Thanksgiving, Nick.”

There was a pause, the silence hanging between you, heavy and sharp, and for a moment, you thought the line had dropped. But then he spoke again, his voice softer, a little remorseful. “Shit… Happy Thanksgiving, sweetheart.”

You swallowed, willing yourself to keep your tone steady. “I’m sorry I couldn’t call earlier,” he continued, his voice dipping low, almost apologetic. “It’s hard to keep track—”

“Yeah,” you cut him off, nodding as if he could see. You leaned your elbows on the arm of the couch, the sounds of laughter from Oprah’s show filling the silence he left.

There was another pause, longer this time, before Nick tried to break the tension with a small laugh. “So… what are you thankful for?”

Your throat tightened at his question, grip on the phone going slack for a moment. What were you thankful for? The question felt like a cruel joke, bringing up everything you’d been bottling up, every dark thought you tried to push away each lonely night.

“What am I thankful for?” you repeated, your voice low, trembling as you forced a laugh. “I don’t know, Nick. I guess I’m thankful for… days that feel a little less empty than others. For distractions. For work. Things that keep me from noticing just how alone I am.”

You could picture him on the other end, taking in your words, and for a moment you wanted nothing more than for him to break down the distance, to say something that would pull you back from the edge.

The silence that followed was sharper, and you could almost picture his face on the other end, the guilt in his eyes. But he didn’t say anything, didn’t reach across the distance between them to reassure you, to tell you it was all going to be okay.

“Y/n…” he finally said, his voice softer, pained. “I know this is hard. But I’m doing my best. You know I’d be there if I could. You know that, right?”

Your throat tightened, the anger simmering just beneath the surface, impossible to contain. “Do I?” you whispered, your voice shaking. “Because sometimes it feels like you’re out there living this whole other life — a life that I’m not a part of. You say you’re thinking about me, but it’s just… words, Nick. Words don’t keep me warm at night. They don’t make up for the fact that you’re not here.”

“I’m trying, Y/n,” he replied, his voice breaking slightly. “You think it’s easy for me? I’m out here, day after day, thinking about you, wanting to come home, and—”

“Then why does it feel like you’re slipping away?” you interrupted, your voice barely above a whisper. “Why does it feel like… like I’m holding on to something that doesn’t even exist anymore?”

He sighed, the sound heavy, filled with a frustration that was as deep as hers. “I thought you understood what this life would mean for us,” he said, his tone sharper than you’d ever heard it before. “I thought you knew that I couldn’t just drop everything—”

“God, Nick, I know you can’t just drop everything,” you snapped, your voice raw, tears spilling over as you spoke. “I’m not asking you to be perfect. I just need to feel like I still matter to you. Like… like you’ll remember to fucking call me on Thanksgiving.”

He was silent, and the quiet that followed was more painful than anything he could have said. It felt like the final nail in the coffin of something they’d both clung to, something that had been slipping through their fingers, too fragile to hold onto.

“Maybe we’re asking too much of each other,” he said finally, his voice barely a whisper, and your heart shattered at the sound of it, at the resignation you could hear in his words.

Your voice broke as you tried to respond, your throat tight with the grief you’d been carrying alone for so long. “So… what? Are you saying we should give up?”

“I don’t know, Y/n,” he whispered, and you could hear the ache in his voice, the same ache you felt, stretching across the miles between you. “Maybe we both need to figure out what we really want.”

A sob slipped out, and you covered your mouth, trying to hold yourself together, but it was already too late. “Fine,” you whispered, your voice breaking. “Maybe we do.”

For a brief moment, you thought he might take it all back, that he might say something to bring you back from the edge. But then he just muttered softly, “Take care of yourself, okay? I love you.”

And then the line went dead.

You sat there in silence, clutching the phone to your chest, tears falling unchecked. The sounds of Oprah’s audience laughing and cheering on the TV echoed around you, filling the room with a painful reminder of a happiness that felt so far away.

As you sat alone in the dim glow of the television, the emptiness you had been feeling for months finally settled in. 

–

The house was warm and full of life, Christmas lights twinkling from every corner, laughter and the smell of cookies filling the rooms. Y/n’s family had always gone all out for the holidays, and being around them brought you a comfort you hadn’t felt in a long time. You smiled, trying to savor the warmth and joy, but it only magnified the empty space in your chest where Nick’s absence had settled like a shadow.

You had tried to convince yourself you were moving on, that this was for the best, but every time you looked at the empty spot on the couch next to you, your heart ached. Your family had asked about him, asked why he wasn’t there, but you brushed it off with a smile, saying he was still deployed. 

Then, amidst the hum of conversation and the soft strains of Christmas music, there was a knock at the door. You barely registered it at first, assuming it was one of your cousins arriving late. But your mother’s voice broke through, calling your name. “Y/n, honey, I think this one’s for you.”

Frowning, you made your way to the front door, your heart pounding before you even turned the handle, a faint, impossible hope sparking within you. And when you opened it, the world seemed to still.

There he was. Snow clung to his denim jacket and the ends of his hair, his cheeks flushed from the cold. His eyes found yours immediately, and the look on his face — raw, pleading, full of longing — broke your heart all over again.

“Nick,” you whispered, your voice barely carrying over the faint hum of Christmas carols from inside.

“I thought you’d be here” he smiled, his voice low and unsteady, “I went to your apartment, but you weren’t-”

“I came here,” you gestured inside the house, “whole family’s here this year…”

You could see the vulnerability in his eyes, the weight of everything he’d been carrying too. You hesitated,glancing back over your shoulder where your family laughed, oblivious to the storm raging inside your heart. With a quiet nod, you stepped outside, shutting the door behind you and wrapping your arms around yourself.

You stood there in silence for a moment, the snow falling softly around you, the quiet too heavy, filled with the things neither of you had said in a month. 

“When did you get back?” You spoke up, eyes raking over his sleep-deprived face.

“Monday,” he hummed, the normalcy of the conversation somehow making you feel even worse about it all.

“I shouldn’t be here,” he started, voice barely above a whisper. “I know I shouldn’t just show up out of nowhere, not after everything… but I couldn’t let things end the way they did.”

Your throat tightened, every word tugging at your heart, filling you with an overwhelming mix of love and pain. “Nick…I didn’t think deployment was gonna be so hard for us…I didn’t think it’d make me feel like I mean’t nothing to you…” your voice broke on the last word.

He took a step closer, his hand reaching out before he dropped it, unsure. “You don’t know how much I hate myself for that, for leaving you with so many doubts. I was so focused on… on my duty, on being strong out there. I thought if I could just push through, I could come back and make it right. But I see now that I was wrong. I hurt you, and I never wanted that.”

You shook your head, hugging yourself tighter. “I love you, Nick. I never stopped. But… loving you hurts. Every time you go, every time you leave me behind, I have to live with this emptiness. And I don’t know if I can keep doing that.”

He swallowed hard, his gaze dropping, and you could see the pain in his eyes, the guilt he carried. “I don’t want to keep hurting you. But I also don’t know how to stop loving you, Y/n. I’ve tried… but you’re all I think about. You’re home to me. And I can’t imagine a life where you’re not part of it.”

Your chest tightened, the longing in his voice piercing straight through your defenses. “Nick, if we do this, I need you to be here for me. I need you to reach out, to make me feel like I’m not just waiting for someone who might never come back.”

“I can do that,” he said, stepping closer, his eyes locking onto yours. “I swear, I’ll be better. I’ll call, I’ll write — whatever it takes. I’ll never leave you in the dark again. Just… please. Give us another chance. I can’t lose you.”

You felt your heart breaking and mending all at once, his words both a balm and a fresh wound. Slowly, you reached out, your hand finding his, the warmth of his skin grounding you, and in that moment, you knew you couldn’t let go. No matter how much it hurt, your love for him was stronger. The ache would always be there, but so would he.

With a shaky breath, you nodded, feeling the last of your resistance fade. “Okay,” you whispered, your voice thick with emotion.

His face softened, a look of relief flooding his eyes as he took your hands in his, pulling your close, wrapping your in his arms. You let yourself sink into him, feeling the warmth of his embrace thaw the hurt you’d held onto, if only for this moment.

“Thank you,” he murmured into your hair. “Thank you, Y/n. I love you… so much.”

You stood there for a while, wrapped in each other’s arms, the snow falling softly around them as the pain began to melt away.

Finally, you pulled back, a small, hesitant smile tugging at your lips. “Come inside,” you said, your voice steadier now. “My family’s here, and… well, they’ve been asking about you.”

He nodded, smiling as he squeezed your hand, and together you stepped back into the warmth and light of the house. As you entered, your family looked up, and your mother’s face broke into a grin, welcoming Nick with open arms. You held onto his hand, feeling the warmth of his presence beside you, and for the first time in weeks, you felt whole.

It wasn’t going to be easy — you both knew that. But as you shared glances across the room, love shining in your eyes, you felt a spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, you could make it work, you could take care of each other.

[shiorihyugawrites]

The Devil's Bride

Aurora Jaeger, Eren's long-lost childhood friend, was taken from him when they were children. After years of suffering under Marleyan control, Aurora is reunited with Eren while he’s undercover in Marley, igniting a bond neither of them expected. Despite her gentle nature, Aurora breaks her vow of pacifism to save Eren’s life, solidifying their deep connection. Secretly married before the Raid on Liberio, Aurora is swept into Eren's world of chaos and destruction. As the Scouts learn of her existence, tensions rise on the airship home. Mikasa’s heart shatters, and Levi demands answers. And Eren will stop at nothing to protect the only light left in his dark world—his bride, Aurora.

In this journey of love, loyalty, and war, Aurora must reconcile her innocent heart with the brutal reality of the man she loves, while Eren faces the truth of what he’s become. (Eren x OC)

Chapter Fifty Five

A/N: This chapter is a personal favourite. 

OST for this chapter is “Footsteps of Doom”

The instant Zeke’s eyes snapped open in the real world, everything erupted into motion again. Only a single second had passed in real time since Commander Magath’s shot rang out, the bullet slamming straight into Zeke’s nape. That shot would have killed him under any other circumstances, but Eren’s massive titan hand came barreling through the dust, swiping away the mindless titans that had begun crowding around, and caught Zeke’s limp body right before he hit the ground. The entire battlefield in Shiganshina seemed to pause in collective shock. A moment before, people were convinced that Zeke was as good as finished—Captain Levi had nearly severed his titan’s Achilles tendon, Magath’s bullet had found its mark, and the Beast Titan looked seconds from total annihilation. Yet here he was: alive, though barely, and inexplicably caught in Eren’s protective grip.

No one else but Eren and Zeke knew that in that single second, they had both found themselves in the barren desert of the Paths, with Aurora there too, forcing events to unravel in ways no one outside could possibly grasp. Now Eren towered in front of them, his expression set, his titan hand clutching Zeke’s limp human form as if unwilling to allow even an inch of separation. The interior of Zeke’s body was a disaster—blood poured from the gaping wound where the bullet entered, and shards of bone protruded from the ragged hole in his side. Before anyone could blink, a strange, glowing form, worm-like in shape, seemed to manifest at Eren’s feet. It squirmed through the debris, shimmering and pulsing with an alien light: the Hallucigenia, the very creature that first granted Ymir Fritz her power two thousand years ago.

Levi, suspended on a broken rooftop beam a few dozen yards away, skidded to a stop. He stared in utter disbelief as the strange creature latched onto Zeke’s barely conscious body, bridging him to Eren’s newly ignited power. A hush of confusion rippled through the nearby Jaegerists and Paradis forces—Jean, Connie, Sasha, Hange, Mikasa, Reiner, Porco, Pieck—none could understand what they were seeing. They had fought enough battles to know something about how titan shifters worked, but this was beyond anything they had witnessed: the moment the shimmering thing clamped onto Zeke, lightning bigger than any of them had ever seen struck down and Eren’s entire titan form changed with impossible speed.

The Attack Titan’s body elongated, bones clacking into place at a breathtaking rate. The once muscled torso now stretched into something more angular, with a monstrous vertebra protruding from its mid-back. The arms extended until they dwarfed the titans from the Walls, each finger sharp as a sword, each joint covered in hardened plating reminiscent of the War Hammer Titan’s constructs. His face, too, morphed: the pointed jaw lengthened, studded with a tangle of hardened ridges, and from the top of his head spilled an endless sweep of black hair, reaching well below his waist. His eyes glowed a deep, ethereal green. It was a vision straight from myth—a Titan so massive it rivaled or even exceeded the size of Armin’s Colossal Titan in height, but with limbs longer and more formidable than anything the world had seen.

No one on the battlefield could stay silent. Soldiers from the Allied Forces screamed in alarm. Shouts in multiple languages rose amid the heavy stench of gunpowder and burnt flesh. Paradis’s defenders were just as astounded. A hush of terror mingled with a wild surge of hope: Eren was unstoppable, or so it seemed, yet how could anyone, friend or foe, truly understand the power he now wielded?

Commander Magath, high above in a vantage point that had allowed his prior clear shot at Zeke, stared through the smoky haze in abject horror. He’d witnessed what seemed like the definitive kill shot, only to find Eren subverting reality itself. The body of the Beast Titan had been his prime target, but Magath never wanted Eren to get hold of Zeke. That was precisely the scenario he had been trying to avert for months, and now it was happening right before his eyes.

Eren’s new titan, impossibly tall, roared into the sky. The force of the roar shook the entire district. Rubble clattered down from half-collapsed rooftops. The newly formed skeleton plating that formed parts of Eren’s torso glowed with an inner light as though lit by an inferno. Above them, the Allied Forces’ airships attempted to circle into a better vantage point, only to reel away at the monstrous quake of Eren’s voice. And then Eren leaned forward, pressing his enormous palm to the outer perimeter of Shiganshina’s walls—walls that had stood for over a century.

It happened in an instant: the protective ring of stone around Shiganshina cracked. Lines slithered across the rock face, branching out like lightning. All at once, entire sections of the walls gave way, stone slabs the size of entire buildings crumbling off the edges. People on both sides screamed to retreat. Levi’s eyes widened, and he immediately bellowed, “Move! Everyone, move away from the walls!” The Jaegerists needed little urging. They’d been trained for swift evacuation in case of emergencies, but none had imagined a catastrophe of this magnitude. Hundreds of soldiers scrambled across rooftops, some managing to hook their ODM gear into stable structures, others diving behind rubble to avoid falling lumps of stone.

Jean and Connie helped Sasha, who had taken a bullet graze to her arm, leaping from building to building in a flurry of grappling lines. Mikasa soared above them, eyes locked onto Eren’s new titan shape as she used her skill to dodge debris. Hange’s voice rang out: “Down, now! Clear the impact zone!” Everyone who could, complied, hearts hammering. Now was not the time to hesitate. They needed to survive the cataclysmic shaking of the ground as the top layers of the walls peeled away.

And beneath those collapsing walls lay the unimaginable: row after row of massive, sweltering shapes that soon began to stir. With the stone no longer containing them, the colossal titans that formed Paradis’s last line of defense—those ancient guardians placed there after King Karl Fritz’s vow of peace—awoke. They pressed forth, row upon row, seemingly endless in number. Armin had estimated they might be in the millions, each at least the size of the Colossal Titan or close to it. Their flesh steamed in the open air, veins pulsing, eyes dull with single-minded purpose. The thunderous footsteps that followed echoed miles beyond Shiganshina. The entire earth trembled as if the island itself was caving in.

The Allied Forces roared in despair. Their first lines of tanks and artillery aimed all they had at the newly emerged titans, hoping to fell them in droves. Shells flew, bombs rained from the airships above. Yet the colossals lurched onward, unstoppable. Each titan was colossal beyond imagination. Their combined heat wave alone melted incoming shells mid-air. Several entire platoons of the Allied Forces opened fire with anti-titan shells, but it felt like trying to stop a towering tidal wave with a handful of pebbles.

Near the center of the Allied lines, Commander Magath shouted for an immediate fallback. The ocean of colossal titans advanced, trampling everything in their path, but the Allied Forces had not come with a plan to cower. With adrenaline spiking in every soldier, some advanced, trying to die with honor. Some retreated, wanting to regroup for a more coordinated counterattack. Others lost themselves entirely to panic, dropping weapons and scrambling for safety that simply did not exist. The chaos was total.

Back in the near center of Shiganshina’s ruins, Levi and the other scouts stumbled, eyes darting around for any sign of Eren’s true body. The War Hammer Titan’s power had clearly been integrated into Eren’s new form, but Hange’s knowledge told her the War Hammer Titan typically stayed underground, controlling its body by a tetherlike cord. “Look for the cord!” Hange yelled, voice cracking. 

Armin, exiting the nape of his Colossal Titan, had used precious minutes to rescue Reiner, Porco, and Pieck from the onslaught so they could join him. Now, with all of them regrouping behind a partially standing turret, they scanned the monstrous shape of Eren’s new form. Indeed, at the base of Eren’s colossal being, a thick cord-like protrusion led underground, presumably to a subterranean area. It glowed with the same eerie luminescence as the skeleton plating around his limbs.

“He’s gone underground to protect himself,” Armin realized, breathing heavily, sweat pouring from his brow. “He’s controlling that monstrous shape from a safe vantage point. And if he’s maintaining physical contact with Zeke, he can maintain this indefinitely, as long as no one kills Zeke.”

Porco spat blood from a previous injury and glared at the Allied Forces in the distance. “That’s why the Allied Forces are so frantic. They know they have to kill Zeke. If they fail, the Rumbling can’t be stopped.”

Reiner, battered and half dazed, let out a choked whisper, “So this is it… Eren’s truly unleashed them all?”

Hange’s glasses were cracked, but her eyes were sharp, focusing on the impossible spectacle of the entire horizon moving with giant footsteps. “Yes,” she said in a trembling voice. “This is the Rumbling.”

At that exact moment, Eren’s presence swept through every Subject of Ymir. It happened like a chill passing over the back of their necks, like an echo on the edge of consciousness. Then they all found themselves momentarily pulled into a corner of the Paths—some dim, vacant stretch where Eren, black hair swirling around him, stood at the center. And there, on Eren’s right side, was Aurora, her eyes hauntingly black and hollow. Between them was Ymir Fritz, that ancient figure everyone recognized now from the hush of ancestral memory. Ymir clutched the hand of both Eren and Aurora, tears streaking down her face, but her expression was unreadable—her eyes were black, as though in a trance. 

An instant later came Eren’s voice, rolling like thunder through their minds, more felt than heard:

Hear me, Subjects of Ymir. My name is Eren Yeager. I’m addressing my fellow Subjects of Ymir, speaking to you directly through the power of the Founder. All the hardening on the island of Paradis have crumbled to the ground, and the legions of titans buried within have begun their march. My only goal is to protect the lives of my wife and child, as well as the people of the Eldian race. Right now, the nations of the world are united in the desire to exterminate my people. They won’t be satisfied until every last Subject of Ymir is dead. I won’t let them have their way. The titans of the walls will continue their march until every trace of life not of Eldian blood is trampled flat, and my people are all that remains of humanity.

Even the fearless Levi felt a jolt of alarm at Eren’s ruthless words, hearing them bounce in the empty corners of his mind. In that instant, Levi also glimpsed Aurora, Ymir, and Eren’s new haunting silhouettes in front of them. Then it ended, snapping everyone back into reality with their hearts hammering and their breath ragged.

Jean, trembling from fatigue, gasped, “That was Eren’s voice. Did you all see that? Aurora was there… with the Founder…”

Sasha’s face was pale, her arm still bloodstained from her earlier wound. “She’s supposed to be in Mitras. She was—she’s pregnant. Why… how is she in the Paths?”

Connie looked from Sasha to Jean, panic and confusion etched on his face. “Did you see the founder in that place, holding Aurora’s hand? It’s like they were… I don’t even know.”

Mikasa stared at the ground, fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. She recalled how Aurora had once mentioned being haunted by a “ghost girl” who turned out to be Ymir Fritz. She realized Aurora might have been the key to unlocking the Founding Titan’s power. But how? Aurora lacked the ability to shift. Her instincts told her that the situation had become something far bigger than they could easily comprehend.

Levi grit his teeth. “So… Eren’s actually going to flatten the entire world. This is going to be a slaughter.” He turned, scanning the battlefield where the Allied Forces flailed hopelessly against the advancing colossals. “But we have no choice. The world made their choice and we made ours.”

Hange nodded, wiping soot from her face. “As much as I hate this.... there’s nothing we can do except make sure Eren manages to pull this off. He’s controlling that monstrous titan from somewhere safe. Our best bet is to make sure Zeke stays alive.”

Then suddenly, the group was forced to scatter when a barrage of artillery shells rained down from above. Planes circled again, peppering the district with gunfire. Levi roared, “Move!” and the battered team dove for cover. They had no immediate opening to attempt a direct sabotage against the Allied Forces attempts to stop Eren. Survival alone was a herculean feat in the face of so many attacking fronts.

In the swirl of confusion and carnage, Reiner watched helplessly as the unstoppable colossals marched outward, flattening entire Allied battalions with casual ease. The proud soldier in him, who once believed in Marley’s cause, was drowning in sorrow. He had left behind Falco, Gabi, and the Eldians in the internment zone, believing that if he’d come to Paradis sooner, maybe they could find a better path and he could’ve saved his mother. Now the better path looked like total genocide. He could hardly breathe as he watched cannon fire vanish into the blazing heat of the Rumbling. 

From the Allied side, a new wave of desperation overcame them. The Rumbling colossals had begun stepping beyond Shiganshina’s gates, taking the fight into the wide fields. The Allied Fleet’s ships that had docked at the harbor unleashed full salvos of cannonfire. Mighty airships attempted bombing runs over the swath of colossals. Yet each time they launched an assault, the searing steam from the colossals evaporated or deflected the worst of it. And thousands of Allied troops were squashed underfoot whenever they tried to mount a direct push.

Eren’s monstrous figure, overshadowing even the colossals, pivoted slowly, scanning the chaos. In the open space around him, entire city blocks collapsed under the repeated quakes of a million titan footsteps. Flames licked the edge of Shiganshina, sparked by the unstoppable friction of so many colliding forces. The stench of blood and smoke thickened the air. Amid this bedlam, that thick, glowing tether—rooted to Eren’s foot—began to twitch, yanking downward into the ground, as though hooking more firmly into hidden bedrock. It was a jarring sight, reminiscent of the War Hammer Titan’s method of burrowing its user safely beneath the battlefield. This time, however, it connected Eren’s colossal new form directly to a location far away: the heart of the capital, Mitras.

…

Far from the carnage, in the quiet, ornate hallways of the royal palace, a deep rumbling shook the structure. Historia, bracing herself against the wall, gasped as a massive spike of crystal erupted from the floor. The terrified Jaegerist guards scrambled backward, rifles raised in confusion. The doctor with them nearly fell onto his knees, certain the entire building was about to collapse. Dust rained from the ceiling as floor tiles ruptured, and in the center of it all, a towering crystal shape elongated, tinted the color of bone and shimmering with the War Hammer Titan’s power. A thick cord of hardened substance connected it to something below ground. Everyone stared in open-mouthed shock. None of them had seen anything like this. It was so reminiscent of the War Hammer Titan’s constructs, but on a scale far beyond.

Historia took a shaky step forward, eyes wide. “What… is that?”

One of the Jaegerists dared approach, prodding it with the butt of his rifle. The crystal was impenetrable, rippling faintly with hidden energy. Then, slowly, a shape became clear inside. A human figure floated, partially clad in muscle fibers. Dark hair, faint stubble. It was Eren, suspended in a comatose posture, cables of hardened Titan matter wound around his limbs. He looked as though asleep, eyes closed. Everyone reeled. The doctor lowered his head, as though unable to process the bizarre sight.

“But… Eren is in Shiganshina, isn’t he?” one of the guards whispered, confused. “How could he—”

Historia swallowed, recalling the Founding Titan’s powers, the War Hammer Titan’s bizarre ability, and the knowledge that Eren had absorbed both. A memory flickered: Of how the War Hammer Titan could hide its real body underground while controlling a remote shell. Now Eren was applying the same principle, except he was controlling that monstrous shape in Shiganshina from this crystal. “He’s protected himself,” Historia said aloud. “He… must be in control of the Rumbling from here. He’s physically here, but out there as well. That tether must run all the way from Shiganshina to the capital.”

A hush fell. The building trembled again, but the crystal remained stable. Outside, the rumbling of a million colossal footsteps echoed, though it felt distant compared to the silent terror inside. The doctor stared in a mixture of awe and dread. “If that’s Eren, then… he’s unstoppable. Even if the Allies kill the giant body in Shiganshina, he can just reform it from here.”

The Jaegerist guards exchanged uneasy looks. Some seemed enthralled by Eren’s unstoppable might, others frightened by the implication that the entire world was about to be crushed. Yet none voiced real opposition. They had pledged loyalty to Eren’s cause months ago. One guard swallowed and forced a salute in the crystal’s direction, as though Eren might sense it. “He’s truly become the Devil of Paradis,” the guard muttered, trembling.

Nearby, Aurora shuddered in her bed. She had just emerged from another wave of labor pains, beads of sweat lining her brow. Her eyes half-lidded with exhaustion, she could still sense, deep within her, the presence of Ymir. She had felt the entire transformation unfold in her mind’s eye. It reminded her of the vow she made in the Paths: to let Ymir be reborn as her child. The reality of that promise weighed on Aurora’s heart. She had once believed that she and Eren could find a path without genocide, but now everything was shattered by the unstoppable force Eren had invoked.

Still panting from the pain of contractions, Aurora forced herself to sit up, ignoring the doctor’s frantic protests. “I’m not letting this kill me,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “Eren… he’s… he’s safe, right?” The doctor, uncertain how to answer, gave her a curt nod, more an attempt to keep her calm than a real certainty.

Historia, swallowing back her own worries for Porco, stepped toward Aurora, gently wiping sweat from her friend’s brow. “He’s okay,” she whispered. “He’s inside that crystal, controlling that monstrous titan. And… he’s unleashed the Rumbling. We all heard his announcement. We all saw him in the Paths.”

A spasm of guilt flickered across Aurora’s features. She half expected a wave of condemnation from the people around her. This decision Eren made would kill countless people across the sea, entire families, entire nations. Yet none of the Jaegerists openly challenged her. They had pinned all their hopes on Eren, and if Eren said the world must burn, they would follow his will. Aurora herself felt a swirl of horror and acceptance: she had chosen to stand by Eren’s side, to trust him to protect their child, and part of her was numb from the overwhelming dread of what was unfolding.

As if to confirm it, the building groaned again. Windows rattled, threatening to shatter at any moment. The crystal that encased Eren pulsed faintly with a dull heartbeat. “He’s unstoppable,” a Jaegerist muttered, half in awe, half in terror.

Historia, hands trembling, turned to the window. She couldn’t see the horizon from here, but she knew that if she could, it would be filled with steam and chaos. She whispered, “Porco… Reiner… all of them must be in the thick of it.”

Aurora closed her eyes, focusing on breathing through the pain that wracked her body. “They’ll survive,” she said softly, more a plea than a statement. “They have to. Eren… Eren said he’s only aiming for the outside world. Not the Eldians in Marley, not anyone on Paradis. They just have to hang on.”

Outside the city, the tether continued to stretch, bridging the capital to Shiganshina. Eren’s new titan form pressed forward, directing wave after wave of colossal titans to begin marching outward from Paradis’s southern coastline. The Allied Forces in the harbor, faced with these unstoppable behemoths, realized too late that Eren’s plan encompassed more than just the immediate region. The colossals lumbered into the sea itself, the water hissing as their scorching bodies turned it to mist, clearing the path for them to begin crossing. Warships stationed offshore bombarded them, but the line of colossals kept advancing, unstoppable in their single-minded purpose.

Meanwhile, the monstrous figure that was Eren’s Founding Titan remained in Shiganshina, easily swatting away any final pockets of resistance. The Allied Forces who tried to push into the district found themselves facing a horrifying sight: charred heaps of men and artillery, collapsed towers, entire swathes of the city decimated. Overhead, the sky was thick with black smoke, illuminated by the fiery glow of the ongoing meltdown at the coast. The entire island of Paradis quaked with each step these colossals took.

Back in the battered remnants of Shiganshina, Levi and the others could only watch as Eren’s massive shape guarded the newly freed colossals. The bullet that Magath had fired, which had nailed Zeke’s nape, was now a footnote in a much larger tragedy. Levi stared with hateful eyes at the monstrous silhouette. He had wanted to kill Zeke for months, for everything that had happened: the slaughter of the Survey Corps, the repeated betrayals, the attempted euthanization plan. Now it was too late. Zeke’s presence was locked inside that hideous form, or perhaps beneath it, tethered with the War Hammer’s power. If miracrlously Zeke tried to escape, Eren could fling entire streets of debris at him or direct colossals to snatch him back.

Eren’s broadcast had told them all he was destroying the world to save the Eldian race. The finality of that statement weighed heavily on them. Mikasa, her heart battered by the knowledge that the boy she’d grown up with and whom she loved more than anyone else was now orchestrating global genocide, could only stand numb, tears stinging her eyes. Armin, traumatized by the scale of destruction unfolding, was paralyzed with guilt at the thought of how many lives, civilizations and cultures that will be lost.

Jean pressed a bloodstained cloth against a gash on his cheek, gritting his teeth. “So… is this it?” he asked bitterly. “We just let Eren flatten the entire world, then rebuild whatever’s left for ourselves on top of billions of bodies?”

No one answered. The entire group wore expressions of sorrow and dismay. They all hated that it came to this. But what choice did they have? It was either kill or be killed in this cruel world. 

High above, Commander Magath retreated with the remnants of his force. He had pulled out a scope, focusing it on Eren’s monstrous form. He’d never felt so powerless. “We had one chance,” he whispered to himself, voice shaking. “We had one damn chance to kill them both—Zeke and Eren—and I failed.” The entire Allied Coalition seemed to be in shambles, their warships in chaos, their land forces pinned, their air units either destroyed or fleeing. The unstoppable line of colossals had begun crossing into the ocean, unstoppable, unstoppable…

Some soldiers tried to rally, to aim one last time at Eren. Others considered turning their guns on themselves in despair, unwilling to face the inevitable stampede. The entire battlefield reeked of hopelessness, as if the weight of Eren’s new power had sucked the very breath from them.

Eren’s titan continued his methodical push forward, guiding the unstoppable wave of colossals beyond Shiganshina’s perimeter. Some advanced east and west, to clear any pockets of Allied survivors, while the main mass pressed south. The ground shook so violently that many watchers on the walls fell to their knees. Dust and soot caked every surface. A hot wind smothered the city, courtesy of the colossals’ steam.

Meanwhile, in the capital, the air was thick with tension as the newly formed crystal spike loomed in the palace’s main courtyard, its occupant—Eren’s physical body—floating in suspended animation. Historia stood by the window with two of her guards, watching it from a distance, while the doctor hovered near Aurora’s side, trying in vain to calm her. Aurora pressed her hand to her abdomen, feeling the persistent contractions, tears at the edge of her eyes as she pictured the unstoppable army her husband now commanded.

She refused to let regret consume her, but sorrow stung her chest. “I promised I’d stand by him,” she murmured, voice trembling. “I said I’d share the burden. This is… the price.”

The doctor quietly said, “Your Majesty, Mrs. Jaeger, pardon me, but we should move you to a safer wing of the palace. The walls are shaking so much. The entire building could collapse.”

Historia, overhearing, gave a curt nod. “Yes, please, help me relocate Aurora to the safest area possible. If… if the walls start falling, we can’t risk her being trapped.”

Aurora looked around at the frantic faces of the Jaegerist guards, who seemed torn between wanting to flee the capital or remain loyal. She realized they were in no immediate danger from the colossals—Eren was clearly flattening the outside world, not the interior of Paradis. But the quake of so many colossal footsteps was enough to threaten the palace’s structural integrity.

A swirl of conflicting emotions coursed through Aurora’s mind. She had glimpsed Eren’s message in the Paths just as everyone else had. She had seen him standing there, Ymir by his side, and Aurora herself also present. That image was seared into the minds of every Eldian who’d glimpsed the Founder’s broadcast. Now she had to push aside the guilt at how many would die for her child’s future. Ymir’s future. She forced a steady breath and followed the doctor’s instructions as he and two guards gently guided her from the lounge to a more interior suite with thicker walls and fewer windows, presumably safer from falling debris.

Through a half-collapsed corridor, Aurora and her entourage reached a small chamber with walls of solid stone. Outside, they could see the monstrous tether winding from the ground up into the crystal. It glowed with an otherworldly luminescence. Aurora knew that Eren was in some kind of trance, controlling his titan body from here, with Zeke forcibly attached. She wondered if Zeke was conscious, or if the Hallucigenia had fused him to Eren’s will. In any case, it no longer mattered. Eren had made his choice. She had made hers.

After settling Aurora on a cushioned seat, the doctor began checking her pulse, counting the contractions. With each wave of pain, Aurora clenched her teeth, refusing to cry out. She could sense Ymir’s presence in the back of her mind. The vow they had made. She recalled Eren’s savage look in the Paths, the unspeakable sorrow on Ymir’s face, the fear in Zeke’s wide eyes. All culminating in the unleashing of the Rumbling that even King Fritz had once threatened but never used. Now it was real, and the world beyond these walls was paying the price.

The final glimpses of the battered battlefield in Shiganshina included entire streets crumbling under the quake, the Allied Forces scattering in disarray. On the horizon, the unstoppable silhouette of Eren’s Titan self loomed like a dark omen, the mass of colossals marching in rows behind him, scorching the fields, unstoppable as the ocean’s tide. Overhead, the last few airships from the Allies fled, unwilling to sacrifice themselves in vain. Magath stood on the ground with a small cluster of battered men, teeth gritted, tears burning his eyes in fury at the unstoppable power now unleashed.

Thus, the people of Paradis, the battered survivors of Marley’s assault, and the entire Allied Coalition realized they had collided with an apocalypse none could have prevented in that final second. The Rumbling had begun in earnest, rewriting the shape of the entire conflict. Eren’s vow in the Paths echoed through every Eldian mind, instilling either unwavering loyalty or abject horror, depending on one’s prior stance. The unstoppable legion marched outward, unstoppable. By day’s end, entire nations beyond the ocean would see that massive wall of steam on the horizon.

And in Mitras, Aurora pressed a trembling hand to her belly, even as another fierce contraction gripped her. She felt Ymir’s presence inside her mind, the promise they’d made. Her future now intertwined with Ymir’s desire to live again in a kinder world. Eren had guaranteed that child a future free from the cruelty of the outside world—and the price was horrifying. Aurora could only close her eyes, breathing through the pain, while outside the palace windows, the cord of Eren’s crystal tethered him to the unstoppable Rumbling, forging a new destiny out of blood and rubble.

The final moment was that eerie hush that followed the unstoppable footsteps heading away from the district, the ground quaking every few seconds, a constant reminder that the colossal tide was on the move. The scout survivors stared, hearts in turmoil, at the horizon. The Allied Forces wept or stood paralyzed. Commander Magath fumed, cursing Eren’s name. Zeke, entombed with Eren, found himself pinned in a chain of unstoppable inevitability. And Ymir’s tears, in the ephemeral space of the Paths, lingered like silent droplets of heartbreak, as she turned the wheel of fate for every living soul in the world—giving Eren the power he so desperately sought, sealing the doom of the outside world, all for the sake of a baby not yet born and the dream of an ancient slave longing for love and freedom.

~

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[miaxwrites]

My Heart Shaped Sunglasses

002 | We’re Getting Drunk and Driving Fast on Cherry Wine

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CHAPTER TWO "we're getting drunk and driving fast on cherry wine"

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Locked up. 

Shadow wanted to be hidden away from the rest of the world with the key tossed into a gutter, never to be seen again, so he could escape the embarrassment that ebbed at his being every time he stepped outside of his house. Even passing by the window was too much, prying eyes latching onto his frame and making a mockery out of his existence. He couldn’t stand it.

Ever since they had met, Shadow has been doing everything in his power to avoid Sonic. By extension, the Wachowski’s were also bearing the brunt of that decision as Shadow made sure he was scarce anytime one of them showed up or was near. 

He didn’t know how else to deal with the situation. After making himself look like a fool in front of Sonic them, avoiding the whole family seemed like the only logical thing to do moving forward. Those moments spent hanging upside down from Maria’s arms had permanently engraved themselves into Shadow’s brain, forcing him to remember the embarrassment he had felt every time he dared to close his eyes.

Avoiding the Wachowski’s didn’t strictly correlate to Shadow teleporting away whenever one of them was near, no. The gift basket that Maddie had made for them went untouched by Shadow—though he couldn’t say Maria hadn’t been enjoying it—on the kitchen countertop, the curtains of his window overlooking the Wachowski’s household had been left indefinitely pulled shut, and worst of all, Shadow had refused to leave the household despite how ‘safe’ Gerald and Maria claimed it to be. Especially after the incident on night one.

It’s how he found himself sprawled across his window seat, engulfed in a room of darkness while he loosely held a copy of Alice in Wonderland in his lap, some pop song that Maria had downloaded playing from an old iPod Gerald had fished out for her. The days seemed to stretch on further with every passing hour when he spent them like this, making Shadow both long for and dread the night as even then he was concealed within his room’s walls.

The only difference then was that Shadow could slip away into an undisturbed slumber. Sometimes, his subconscious would be nice, allowing him to get through the night without ever stirring or having any thoughts cross his mind. Others, Shadow was left trembling, concealed within a damp layer of sweat as he thrashed back and forth, never quite able to escape as he was forced to wait until morning, his silent pleas never making it far.

It’s why the first night Shadow and the two Robotnik’s spent in Green Hills, he had tried to avoid this endless cycle of torment, making a grave mistake in the form of going for a late-night run. Waiting until he was sure that everyone had fallen asleep before he slipped from his bare room, only a few boxes littering the floor where they had been pushed up against the walls and the fairy lights that still twinkled dimly.

Even now, when the streets were left empty and a silence enveloped the town, Shadow wasn’t confident enough to blast through the town, aware that one misstep would result in their cover being blown with everything Maria and Gerald had worked towards going up in smoke. So he took to the vast forest that made up their backyard.

At first, he started off slow, just attempting to get a feel for the forest as he weaved his way in and out of the trees, keeping an eye out for any unruly roots that tried to escape from the earth and hook onto him. But as much as the run was to stretch his legs and get out of the house after being cooped up inside a car for days on end, it was also to scope out the perimeter and ensure that it was secure. To make sure their blanket of safety didn’t consist only of a few thin walls.

Not stopping until every tree, bush, and rock was accounted for, Shadow didn’t rest until a blur of blue flashed past him, moving at a much greater speed as an ease of familiarity danced around it as it held not a care in the world.

The sight of the blue streak had Shadow coming to an immediate stop, head whirling towards where the blur of colour had disappeared to, a flurry of steps trying to put even more distance between them as Shadow stumbled backwards until he almost crashed into a tree.

There was no stopping it, Shadow realised, watching as the surge of glowing blue power trickled through the trees and as the world slowed down for him. 

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that it had been Sonic who shot past him. Since moving to Green Hills less than twenty-four hours ago, the oddities that resided there had taken it upon themselves to come forth and reveal themselves, making it clear that Sonic and his two friends–brothers?–possessed similar abilities to Shadow, as what other earthly creature would be able to move at such speeds? Though it did raise the question, just what could Sonic do? What limits could he surpass?

When a few harrowing moments had passed with Shadow keeping his back pressed up against the tree he had bumped into with no sight of Sonic returning, Shadow peeled himself away from the bark digging into his fur, letting out a sagging breath as he did. A few cautious steps forward were taken, Shadow wondering if his mere presence would bring unwanted attention barreling into him as he contemplated waiting out the blue hedgehog or making a quick dash for it.

In the end, Shadow begrudgingly began sneaking his way past trees, choosing not to move any faster in case that alone alerted anyone to his whereabouts.

He couldn’t say he was completely displeased with the outcome for the night, though he still wished he could shake off the rest of the excess energy he had been storing for too long. He had made good work in familiarising himself with the expanse of land behind his house; even if Shadow craved for nothing more than to stay out for a little while longer, this being the freshest air he had ever gotten, he would rather play it safe than sorry. He couldn’t risk it.

Boy, was he not ready.

After taking all of five steps through twigs that crunched under the metal rims of his shoes and through dirt that kicked up with every step, a gust of air came slapping into his back, rustling his quills as fallen leaves went dancing into the sky. Shadow didn’t need to look up from where his eyes had previously been trained on the floor to realise who was standing in front of him. 

“Hi,” came the startled voice of one Sonic the Hedgehog not even a moment later, a shy edge almost making itself known as he stood fidgeting in front of Shadow, surprise lacing his features as it was clear he wasn’t expecting to find anyone else out so late, especially someone of Shadow’s calibre. Eyes fleeting up for only a moment before darting away, Shadow’s narrowed ones met Sonic’s wide ones that were so keen on staring into his soul, scanning and taking note of every minuscule detail that he discovered and deemed worthy of remembering, which was all of them. “I didn’t think you’d be out here.”

As much as he wished he could’ve, Shadow knew there was no avoiding Sonic forever, especially not when the hedgehog was standing directly in front of him like he was now. It was unfortunate that, just like last time, Shadow found himself at a loss for words, willing the earth to split open and swallow him whole. Despite that, he forced the words out even though his throat felt dry and ready to close up. Shadow murmured, “I was just leaving.”

“You can talk?” Sonic sounded genuinely surprised as he said those words, the sentence coming out and framing itself more like a question than the statement it was intended to be. It seemed Sonic only realised what he said when he noticed the soft frown that was beginning to crease Shadow’s face, pulling at his features. “I mean, of course you can talk. I don’t know why I thought Maria was your interpreter.”

“What?” Shadow muttered astounded, staring at Sonic as if he had lost his mind.

“But, hey,” Sonic rushed out, trying to amend the conversation as he skipped through topics, running his mouth and not allowing either of them to ponder on his mistake for too long. “What’re you doing out here? I almost didn’t recognise you with how fast I was going and how well you blend in. Good thing you have those highlights.”

“Highlights?” The word sounded foreign on Shadow’s lips as a subconscious hand reached up to run through the red lining of his quills. 

“Oh, no, it’s not a bad thing, Shads. I can call you that, right?” Planting his hands on his hips and leaning forward slightly, Sonic forced Shadow to look up at him as the space between them only got narrower. Even during the dead of night, Sonic’s cobalt fur stood out among the darkness, a beacon that demanded attention. “It goes well with your whole dark and mysterious act. Same with the glaring, though you might get wrinkles early if you keep it up.”

Whatever unease that flowed through Shadow whenever Sonic was near seemed to wear off, leaving nothing but a farce hedgehog in front of him. Stalking past Sonic and continuing his walk home with a slight hunch to his shoulders, Shadow ignored all of Sonic’s attempts to stick with him; the blue blur sprang up next to him, arms swinging by his sides as he walked in tandem with Shadow. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Come on, don’t be like that, Shads,” he tried, words falling on deaf ears, Shadow carrying on as if he wasn’t there. He had already wasted enough time that night listening to Sonic’s nonsense instead of memorising every nook and cranny of that forest, and there was no use wasting any more. Quickening his pace until he was in front of Shadow, Sonic turned so he was still facing Shadow, walking backwards as he tried to reason, “I was just-“

Shadow didn’t bother listening to the rest of Sonic’s sentence before he was teleporting away, leaving Sonic behind as he slipped into thin air and reemerged in his room, a blanket of warmth wrapping itself around him from where the heating had been left on.

That same warmth attempted to surround him now, forcing its way into his fur and adding a layer of pressure to his skin. It was suffocating, but it was the only thing keeping him company when Maria was away. 

Slipping his book shut with a sigh after staring at the same two pages for the past twenty minutes, Shadow set it down next to him before ending the steady stream of music, the constant wave of noise that he wasn’t even listening to starting to give him a headache. 

For a few seconds all he could do was stare off into space as the silence hung heavily, a stark contrast to what had just been. 

It was only when the slam of the front door rang through the house did Shadow break himself out of the trance he had seemed to fall into for the better part of the day. His head turned towards the noise as he listened out for who it could be. 

Light, pillowing footsteps skidded across the hardwood floor downstairs, the smack of socks muffling its owners' otherwise loud stomps; Maria made her way through the house, seemingly looking for something as a series of drawers opening and cupboards shutting sounded out throughout the house.

Pushing himself up from where he sat, Shadow abandoned any means of solitude. He left his room and made his way down the stairs, looking for the older girl as she continued to make a racket. By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, Maria seemed to have found what she was looking for; she held a half-torn open box in her hands, about to begin making her own way to Shadow. 

“There you are.” Maria’s head startled up even as she said the words, eyes creased and glinting with something Shadow had seen on so many occasions in the past. “I was hoping I’d find you, not that you’d be anywhere else.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shadow asked accusingly. 

“You just haven’t left the house yet, which I’m planning on changing today,” Maria stated, already sure of herself as she shifted the box so it was planted on the ground next to her feet. Tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear before standing back up, Maria came face to face with Shadow’s accustomed, annoyed stare, his lips curling downwards as his face pinched together. Rolling her eyes playfully, Maria scoffed, “Don’t give me that look, Shadow. You can’t hide in here forever.”

“I’m not hiding,” he quickly denied, his shoulders hunching as he crossed his arms over his chest. Shadow hadn’t been hiding per se, just keeping his public interactions to a minimum for numerous reasons. Just because G.U.N knew of the energy signatures that resided in Green Hills, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t recognise his. “I’m just trying to draw as little attention to us as possible, so we can blend in.”

“Well, I’d rather we have some fun instead of constantly being wary of everything,” Maria mused, despite what she was asking Shadow to do; to reveal himself and not care what consequences might follow. “Besides, I think the Wachowski’s have that sorted for us.”

Shadow rolled his eyes at the mere mention of the Wachowski’s, one of them blaringly sticking out to him. 

Eyes squinting upon his reaction, one of Maria’s blonde brows arched upwards, confusion and interest blurring together as she took in Shadow. Immediately Shadow tried to school his features, not wanting to deal with Maria’s questioning, but it seemed it was already too late. Teasingly, and without giving Shadow any time to backtrack, Maria asked, “What was that?”

“What was what?” He attempted to play dumb, head tilting slightly to the side. If Shadow could look innocent enough, he was sure Maria would partially drop the topic, storing it away in her brain where she could ambush Shadow at a later date. As long as that date wasn’t today though, he would be fine with that.

“I know what you’re doing,” Maria said, despite Shadow’s best efforts, some sort of ‘Big Sister Telepathy’ as she liked to call it, coming into play. Shadow had never believed in it before, but as he stood trying to force his face to relax, banishing the scowl that was determined to settle there, he might as well just have to start. “And you’re not getting out of talking about this, but I really want to go and look around the town, so we’re pausing this for now.”

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shadow feigned ignorance as he gave a small shrug, now more than ever interested in the box Maria had brought with her at the mention of looking around town. 

“Sure you don’t,” Maria was able to grit out one last time before seemingly letting go of the conversation altogether, focusing on the box on the ground like Shadow as she crouched down towards it. Pulling back the cardboard flaps that acted as a lid and reaching both of her hands in, Maria pulled out a pair of skates, showing them off to Shadow with a grin lighting up her face. “Look what I was able to grab before we left.”

“No,” Shadow shot out as soon as his eyes landed on the skates, ready to turn around and suffer alone in his room again. He hadn’t seen those things since he and Maria had crashed into a tray of confectioneries, the sludge of icing matting his fur. Without needing an explanation for what Maria was hoping to use the skates for, Shadow blandly stated, “I’m not dragging you around town by a piece of rope again.”

“But it was so fun last time,” she whined out quickly, shifting the skates so she could hold them tightly to her side with the squeeze of her arm. Her two hands came clapping together in a begging motion, pleading eyes darting Shadow’s way. Only shaking his head in response, Maria’s fingers interlocked as she considered dropping to her knees. “Why not?”

“Because it’s embarrassing,” Shadow bit sharply, ears flattening against his quills as his nose gave an annoyed twitch. His hostile tone seemed to have no effect on Maria, years of growing up alongside each other and putting up with the other when they were at their worst desensitised her to his sudden outbursts. Turning his head to the side in embarrassment at the little display, Shadow refused to look at Maria as he finished, “I don’t want to have to be seen dragging you around town by a piece of rope like a dog.”

“Okay, I can hold onto your shoulders then,” Maria easily amended, hands dropping to her sides after abandoning her skates by letting them fall back into the cardboard box they had been stored in. A look of somberity crossed her face as she tried to catch Shadow’s eye, her lips thinning together as she was repeatedly avoided. “Now, what’s the real reason?”

If it were possible, Shadow’s ears flattened further into his skull, shoulders hunching over as he attempted to make himself look smaller. His arms came up to wrap around his abdomen, tucking his hands close to his body as he faltered.

What was the real reason? It was the reason he wore inhibitor rings around his wrists and ankles; the reason why he kept his air shoes glued to his feet; it’s why he tried not to teleport, or discover new abilities; it was why, for as long as he could remember, he would be met with scientists, and doctors, and lab equipment. It was why he had to be locked away. Why he had to hide.

If he got carried away, someone could get hurt again. Gerald would have to clean up his mess while Maria would be shunned by her own kind. Or worse, he could ruin all of this for Maria and Gerald and bring G.U.N knocking at their door, separating the three of them for good; Shadow would go back to that cursed lab while Maria and Gerald would be shipped away, never to be able to reach him again.

It’s why it had to be like this.

“I don’t want to accidentally hurt you,” he whispered, words impossibly quiet and almost going unnoticed by Maria. When he finally looked over at her, there was a glossy sheen coating his eyes, the often vibrant red of his irises turning to a syrupy brown. In a voice that threatened to tremble and crack, Shadow tried to express, “If I run too fast or turn around a corner too sharply, I might fling you off, or we could crash again. But this time it could be worse than simply getting covered in pastries.”

“You don’t have to live your life consumed by worry anymore.” Maria’s own voice was wobbling as she spoke, forcing herself to keep it together as this wasn’t about her. It was about Shadow and finally getting him comfortable in his new life after years of hating his own body. “The constant fear and stress, it must be exhausting.”

“But if I don’t, something might happen,” Shadow said, worried. His hands balled into fists and his claws threatened to rip past the fabric of his gloves and sink into the palm of his hands.

“Yes, might,” Maria stressed, catching Shadow’s eye when he finally looked back over at her. Reaching a hand out, Maria let it hang in the space between them as she offered it to him, not grabbing onto the hedgehog or forcing him to take hold. Even when Shadow didn’t take it, she kept it there for if he ever wanted it. With an air of calming authority, Maria demanded, “Shadow, what did I say earlier?”

“That the Wachowski’s are loud and stick out like sore thumbs?” Shadow almost answered with his usual air of certainty, quirking one of his brows as he thought back to the relevance of that conversation. 

“No, the other thing,” Maria prompted, rolling her eyes at the statement, though she couldn’t deny the truth behind it.

Hesitating, Shadow seemed more unsure of himself than he had ever been before. He knew what Maria was looking for, what she wanted him to say, but it was almost as if saying it would make it impossible. Just another intangible notion that was too good for Shadow to clasp onto. “To have fun.”

“Exactly.” Maria almost breathed out a sigh of relief. She was halfway there. Shadow knew what the goal was; now she just had to make him see it was possible within their conditions. “Leave some of the worrying to Grandpa and me. We wouldn’t be here unless Grandpa was sure it was safe, and even then, he has a few escape plans tucked under his belt.”

That seemed to be news to Shadow as he mentally recoiled, face scrunching with confusion. He momentarily looked past Maria and out of one of the house's large windows, eyes scanning the area and looking for any evidence of said plans. Distantly, Shadow asked, “He does?”

“Yep,” she confidently announced, popping the ‘p’ as she spoke. It had been a whole process trying to work out the kinks of their escape plan, but with Shadow on stasis for three months, it gave them enough time to set everything they would need up before making a break for it. “He has it all figured out with cameras lining the house and sensors surrounding all of Green Hills, so nothing comes in or out of here without him knowing. I think he even said something about satellites when you were asleep in the car.”

“So we’re safe?” The words sounded foreign to Shadow, not something he ever thought he’d be muttering as he looked to Maria for approval.

“We’re the safest damn thing on this planet.” Maria cracked a grin, hardly being able to conceal her laughter as she put into perspective even to herself just how well they had hidden themselves, something she had never expected in life. “Now, let’s put on some skates, explore town, and have some fun.”

“Okay,” he relented, voice still small but eyes filled with something Maria would dare call hope. With a hand that threatened to shoot backwards at the smallest sign of movement, Shadow reached out to Maria, taking a hold of the limb she had originally offered and kept outstretched between them no matter what.

At the contact, Maria laced their fingers together, letting them intertwine and become one before tugging Shadow over to her side. She didn’t try to hug him like she would’ve preferred to, instead she settled for bumping her hip into Shadow’s, jostling the other before she reached down and grabbed onto her skates. 

Shadow made a grab for the rope that had been neatly coiled up and placed within the box despite his earlier distaste to the idea of tying it around his waist to pull Maria along. His other hand was still clasped tightly in Maria’s before the girl was dropping it to instead shoot out and halt Shadow’s offending limb. Turning to her with furrowed brows, a wordless question being passed between them, Maria said, “Leave it, we won’t need it this time.”

A small, microscopic quirk of Shadow’s lips was all Maria needed to know she had made the right decision. Shadow tried to hide his smile, half burying his muzzle in his shoulder as Maria kicked the almost empty box out of the way, the cardboard skidding against the hardwood floor and off to the side. 

“Grandpa said we have to be back by lunchtime,” Maria started. She made her way to the couch with Shadow in tow, sitting down on the edge of the seat where she undid the laces of her blue Converse before toeing them off, only dropping Shadow’s hand when it came time to put on her pink skates. “And that we’re not to waste any money on food since he’ll be cooking for us.”

“So just a stroll around town?” Shadow questioned, watching as Maria went through the motions of tightening her skates and tying them up. He felt the instinctive need to check his own shoes, momentarily activating each of them and watching them spark to life, even if he knew they would respond in kind. “Some sightseeing?”

“Exactly,” Maria proclaimed as she shot to her feet, gliding around the coffee table to make sure she still had it in her. When she was confident in her abilities, twirling around and jumping over invisible obstacles, Maria beckoned Shadow to follow her as she made her way to the front door, shoving it open to make way for them. “Maybe some light shopping if anything catches our eye.”

A soft snort rang out from Shadow’s nose. “I doubt it.”

“You never know,” she sang. She let gravity run its course and pull her down the soft slope of their driveway until she hit the end of the footpath, toeing her way onto the road. She looked both ways before skating to the centre and turning to Shadow expectantly. “You can lead the way and go wherever your heart desires since you haven’t gotten to explore yet.”

“Wow,” Shadow feigned gratitude, a hand splayed over his white chest fur as he stepped onto the road after Maria, coming to a stop just in front of her. Waiting for the blonde to plant her hands atop his shoulders, Shadow took a couple of testing steps forward, seeing how well her skates followed after him. “I feel so honoured.”

“You should-” Maria started saying, her eyes slipping shut as she flipped some of her hair over her shoulder. That’s why when Shadow activated his air shoes, rockets fueling to life and letting out a soft puff of energy, Maria was none the wiser until her hair was slapping against her face and she was clutching onto Shadow as if her life depended on it. “-BE! Shadow!”

“Whoops,” he called over his shoulder, a rare cackle bubbling from his chest as he caught sight of Maria trying to fight against the wind, eyes squinted because of its assault. Dryly, and lacking any real remorse, Shadow offered, “My bad.”

“You’re not sorry at all,” Maria proclaimed as Shadow’s head whipped around to put his eyes back on the road, hearing the subtle rumble of a car’s engine not too far from them. Slowing down in preparation for the corner coming up, Shadow’s ears swerved on top of his head, hearing the vehicle approaching before he saw it. 

Not moving fast enough to breeze past the car, Shadow pulled the two of them as far over to the other side of the road as possible as they went gliding past, some sort of shout ringing out from inside the car that Shadow chose to ignore. 

“No,” Shadow absentmindedly agreed, solely focused on memorising the route they were currently on as he swerved across the road, still attempting to make the ride fun for Maria. “I can’t say I am.”

Turning down corner after corner, Shadow took it all in at a slower pace than he would’ve wished. Though it wasn’t unlike the one he had used to explore their backgarden forest on the first night of being in Green Hills, back then, he didn’t have to worry about having a passenger clinging to him. 

For the most part, Green Hills seemed to be everything Gerald and Maria told him it would be. It was quiet, only seeing a total of five people and three creatures such as himself since he moved here, which included Gerald and Maria. The town was also quite small, more so than Shadow had expected. If he were to run across the whole town, going door to door, back and front, he suspected it would take him less than twenty seconds to complete.

Though they hadn’t been there long, nothing irreversible or disastrous had occurred yet, excluding every interaction Shadow had encountered outside of his own house. For what it was worth, Maria seemed to be right.

“Wait, Shadow,” Maria coughed out, one of her arms snaking around Shadow’s neck as she practically climbed onto his back. Her free hand was pointing at a store that had already long since disappeared from their vision after racing past it. Snapping her head around, Maria demanded as her eyes locked onto the store she had found, “Go back.”

Wordlessly, Shadow did as he was told and he turned them both into a small arch until they were heading back in the direction they came from, this time far slower so Maria could spot and point out the store when they came across it.

“That one,” she exclaimed, finally releasing her hold around Shadow’s neck, she threw herself off of the hedgehog, skates catching her and wheeling her towards the store while Shadow was pushed towards almost having a heart attack at her recklessness, hand clutching at his chest where he could feel his heart hammering. Oblivious to Shadow’s stress, Maria murmured to herself, “I thought I saw something about milkshakes.” “Milkshakes?” Shadow spluttered, eyes bugging out of his head as he watched Maria casually roll over to the convenience store that she had forced them to stop at. Smoothing his hands along his quills, the action did little to calm Shadow, though it often didn’t. Attempting to grasp at what Maria had just done, Shadow asked apprehensively, “You just jumped basically off a moving vehicle because you wanted a milkshake?”

“You’ve never had a milkshake, right?” Maria asked calmly, ignoring Shadow’s fretting. She paused outside of the small corner store, one of her skates propped up on the stopper whilst peered in through the window and tried to make out what was lining their shelves.

“No,” Shadow said, exasperated, bunching his hands into tight fists. “But that’s not the point. Next time, just wait for me to stop before doing something like that.”

“I think you’d like chocolate,” Maria mused, pushing herself away from the glass and backtracking over to Shadow. Pausing a few steps away, she reached into the pockets of her denim overalls until she pulled a small purse out, peering inside and counting the different coins and notes left scattered together. “I might get a strawberry one, though. I’ll have to see what flavours they have when we get inside.”

“Maria,” Shadow groaned, getting ignored again. Stepping forward, Shadow tried to duck his head into Maria’s line of sight to catch her attention; the girl was seemingly an expert at ignoring all things related to Shadow as she didn’t even bat an eye. Hands thrown up next to his head, he asked, “Can you take this seriously?”

“I am! It’s really important what flavour milkshake I get,” she gasped, head snapping up as she placed a hand to her chest in feigned shock, taking personal offence to Shadow’s comment. The action only seemed to tick Shadow off further as his eyes narrowed dangerously at Maria. “I also knew you were going slow enough that I’d be fine, so stop whining and come here.”

“That’s not the point,” he huffed out, face scrunching as he prepared himself to teleport back to the safety of his room and leave Maria in the quiet street alone. 

“Okay, I’m sorry,” she finally sighed, relenting after playing her little game with Shadow and being difficult. “I know this is probably a lot for you, and I should’ve considered that before acting so brashly. It won’t happen again, but can we please get milkshakes now? I actually really want one.”

Staring at Maria accusingly, Shadow didn’t seem to believe her; he silently shook with his posture straight, clearly irritated, and with his arms crossed over his chest. When Maria could only splay her palms faced up in front of her in retaliation, her purse haphazardly balancing in one of them, Shadow hmphed in what must’ve been agreement. “You’re paying.”

“Of course, I am,” Maria scoffed, already expecting and prepared to cough up whatever the total amount of money would be once they were done browsing the small store. “What are big sisters for?”

“Hardly my big sister,” Shadow quickly snorted, shaking his head to himself as if Maria had said something funny. 

“What? Yes, I am,” she spoke, confused as she looked at Shadow, trying to figure out why he wasn’t on the same page as her. They both saw each other as siblings, G.U.N practically officiating it once Gerald became lead researcher and Maria was able to keep Shadow with her when he wasn’t being used or put on stasis. So what was the problem? “I’m older. And your sister.”

“You're only older because I was put on stasis for so long,” Shadow concluded, clearing some of the air for Maria. She pushed her way into the small store, skating straight to the back of the store where some sketchy milkshake machines were planted on the wall. “If I had grown up normally, I’d be older.”

“Doesn’t matter, it still counts,” she announced as she pulled two small cups from the rack and placed one of them under the strawberry-flavoured lever, handing the other one to Shadow for him to pick. Without a second thought, he placed it under the chocolate-flavoured one and began filling it up, listening to Maria’s earlier suggestion. “And if you want a milkshake, you’ll say I am.”

“I think I’ll be fine without,” he decided, only letting go of the lever once his cup was filled and had grabbed a lid and a straw, assembling his drink properly before raising a brow at Maria. 

“What? No,” she snapped, conflicted as she finished her own drink and hurriedly put it together, shooting around to make sure Shadow still had his in his hands. “You’re not getting out of trying one like that. You need to experience the awesomeness of a milkshake.”

“I don’t think a convenience store is going to emulate an amazing experience,” Shadow drawled, looking around at the state of the small corner store as he slowly brought the drink up to his muzzle, giving the liquid a quick sniff before bringing it to his lips to take a sip out of after he’d decided it was safe to consume. The artificial flavour and overly sweetness of the drink hit Shadow all at once, though it didn’t stop him from going in for a second sip.

“It’s a start, then,” she decided with a firm nod of her head, watching as Shadow stuck close and eyed the store with caution, taking in all the oddities that lined the shelves and had never been seen by him before.

Leading the way as she often did, Maria began to look around the store, Shadow sticking close to her as she browsed through the different snacks she had only ever dreamt of trying and the random knick-knacks that seemed out of place nestled between everything else. It was only when she came across a small rack of sunglasses, Shadow barely sparing it a second glance, did she come to a proper stop.

“We should try some of them on,” Maria proclaimed, almost infatuated by the different types of glasses all laid out in front of her. Hand instinctively reaching for a pair of pink star-shaped sunglasses, she pulled them from the mini shelf it was resting on and easily slotted them to her face, checking herself out in the mirror supplied with items. Smiling at her reflection, Maria turned to Shadow with a swoop of her hair, striking a pose with her hands fanned out around her face as she asked, “How do I look?”

“Ridiculous.” Shadow wasn’t even looking at her when he said it, eyes trained on a middle-aged man dressed in a tacky police uniform that looked straight out of some poorly made TV show as he entered the convenience store. Offhandedly, Shadow murmured, “You should put them back before you break them.”

“I’m not going to break them,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes as she still didn’t seem to have Shadow’s attention on her, instead watching as the man browsed through the different brightly-coloured doughnuts left on display. Her eyes briefly skimming over the rack again, they landed on a similar pair to hers, only they were heart-shaped instead of stars. Plucking them from the rack, Maria turned to Shadow with them outstretched in her hands. “Here, you try these ones on.”

“Hold on-” Maria didn’t give Shadow a moment to refuse or even comprehend what she was doing before she was pressing the pink glasses into Shadow’s quills, digging the small curve of the glasses’ temple there since they wouldn’t be able to sit behind his actual ears. 

His eyes fastened shut, Shadow refused to open them and look through the shaded lenses, not sure what he’d find if he did. Unbeknownst to him, Maria was admiring her handiwork, looking over how the glasses sat on his face, grinning once she was satisfied with the turnaround.

“You can open your eyes, you know,” Maria remarked, waiting to see Shadow’s reaction, but stopped by the small holdup. “They’re not going to hurt you.”

“I know that,” Shadow quickly murmured, shaking out his quills to try and settle the defences that had risen as he slowly peeled his lids back. Turning to see what all the hype was about, Shadow made eye contact with himself in the mirror, staring at his reflection with a small amount of horror as he took in the pink attempting to blend in with black and red. “I look stupid.”

“You always look stupid,” Maria supplied with what most would call a charming grin. Grabbing onto Shadow’s shoulders, she used him to help her balance as she leaned down until their heads were resting side by side in the mirror, getting a proper glimpse at how they looked next to one another.

“Well, these don’t help then,” he concluded, not being able to look away from the monstrosity he was staring at, an unfamiliarity with his own face washing over him. It didn’t matter that his sister was standing right next to him the whole time, her ever-present smile shining through and trying to absorb his desolation. 

“I think it’s rather cute, actually,” she decided on saying just as Shadow’s lips thinned together and his head turned away from the mirror, unable to look on any longer. Fixing the frames to Shadow’s face before he could tear them off, Maria admitted, “And that I’m going to be buying these for us so we can match.”

“You don’t have to,” Shadow blurted out, shaking his head as he backed away from Maria, though he made no move to remove the pink glasses. 

“But I want to,” she quickly reassured, grabbing onto Shadow’s wrist and tugging him towards the counter as she raised her drink to her lips, finally taking a few sips out of it. The two of them got in line behind two others, another shortly making their way behind them and waiting patiently. “So let me do this, Shadow.”

“Shadow?” An unknown voice asked from behind the pair, making the hedgehog in question’s head snap around to face whoever had called out to him. Coming face to face with the same policeman who had been ogling at the doughnut display not too long ago, making one of Shadow’s brows arch up in confusion. “Like, Shadow and Sonic the Hedgehog?”

“No,” Shadow immediately hissed at the mere mention of the blue creature, teeth bared as he glared up at the man. A soft snort startled its way out of Maria at the question, quickly coughing into her elbow when Shadow trained his gaze on her for a few short moments. “Not like Sonic the Hedgehog.”

“But you know him?” the man pressed on, eyes flicking up to Maria briefly, seeming to fit together the pieces of a puzzle as realisation continued to dawn on him.

“Yeah,” Maria answered for him. “We’ve met him.”

“Unfortunately,” Shadow couldn’t help but mutter to himself. 

“Wow,” the man murmured to himself, clearly bewildered as he took in the alien hedgehog. He seemed to have to hold himself back from inspecting Shadow and trying to figure out every little detail about him, on the verge of stepping closer. Speaking lowly, as if no one was meant to hear him, the man said, “I didn’t think I’d ever actually get to meet you.”

Taken aback by those words, Shadow quickly propped himself in front of Maria, demanding an answer, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, it’s just that Sonic’s told me so much about you,” the man announced as if it was nothing, almost hugging the doughnuts he was planning on buying to his chest. “It’s kind of been nonstop, actually. Every time I go to pick up or drop off Knuckles, or come around for some lunch, Sonic has something to say about you. Do the two of you see each other often?”

“No,” Shadow shot out, disgust climbing up his spine and settling in his quills as they threatened to flare up and stand on edge. With every passing second, the conversation being shared between them only got weirder and weirder, making Shadow itch to get away. With a scoff though, Shadow kept up his harsh exterior and snapped, “I couldn’t get far enough away from him.”

“Oh, that’s a bummer. I’m Wade, by the way,” ‘Wade’ said, sticking a hand out for Shadow to take, only to be blatantly ignored, the hedgehog only staring at the offending limb in disgust. When he didn’t seem to spur any reaction out of Shadow other than the sour frown that seemed to be etched into his skin, Wade turned to Maria and tried his luck with her, “Wade Whipple.”

“Maria,” the blonde supplied, grabbing onto Wade’s hand and giving it a firm shake, even if the action felt a bit out of place. Shadow watched the interaction closely, following the way both humans’ hands flexed and wrapped around one another. Tilting her head down towards the hedgehog, Maria mused, “Shadow’s sister.”

“I thought you would be,” Wade murmured, eyes flickering between the pair as if he could almost spot some similarities between them. “Sonic mentioned you as well, saying how sweet you were.”

“Seems like we’ve made quite the impression then,” Maria proclaimed, taking her hand back. What they had done to garner such a reaction out of a stranger who had only heard stories of them, Shadow would never know. He had only interacted with Sonic twice, both occasions holding nothing to report on, so it was beyond Shadow what Wade had been hearing about them.

“Oh, yeah,” Wade said, astounded, nodding his head rapidly as he fiddled with the box in his hands. There was a soft squeak of shoes behind Shadow, making him look back to find the line they had been waiting in had disappeared. He crossed the tiled floor and stepped up to the counter. Wade’s eyes angled back down to Shadow as he said, “You definitely have.”

One of Shadow’s brows shot up at this, gaze sceptical yet unimpressed as he became a silent observer of this exchange.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Wade,” Maria concluded once she had noticed Shadow was no longer by her side, doing a small spin on her skates until she spotted him at the front of the store, sunglasses and milkshakes already resting on the counter for the clerk to scan and ring up the price. “But we should get going soon.”

“Right, that’s totally fine,” Wade said, waving Maria off as she skated backwards slowly, stopping only when she began to feel Shadow’s quills poking into her back. “I need to get back to work soon anyway. Tell Sonic I say ‘hi’ if you happen to run into him later.”

“Will do,” Maria smiled before turning around and setting her own cup down on the counter. She reached a hand up to pull her glasses off as well, putting her purse on the counter.

“No need,” the boy, who was probably no older than seventeen, behind the desk said, holding a hand up to try and get Maria to stop the action. He pushed the drinks back over to the two of them, then picked up the glasses Shadow had taken off to try and situate them back on his face, but the hedgehog easily avoided it by ducking behind Maria, who took them for him. “You guys are with Sonic, so it’s on the house.”

“Really?” Maria tried to keep the excitement from her voice. She was still ready to hand over the couple of dollars this would all total out to be if the worker changed his mind and requested it, though she was already pocketing her purse in preparation to leave. “Yep,” he said, sure of himself. “Can’t have a hero or his friends paying for cheap stuff like this when you’ve saved the world more times than I can count.”

“But we aren’t with that-” Shadow began to say, top lip curled as he got ready to spit out a rebuttal. “Thank you so much,” Maria cut in before he could ruin this for them. Picking up their drinks and shoving them into Shadow’s hands, she planted her own on his shoulders, shoving him towards the door as she shot the clerk and Wade a fleeting smile in goodbye. It was only when they stepped outside and were well out of earshot that she leaned down and whispered into his ear, “Dude, free stuff. Just accept it.”

“I don’t care,” Shadow groaned, shaking Maria’s hands off of him before handing over her strawberry milkshake. She tried to hand him back his own glasses, only for Shadow to turn away in favour of walking away from the convenience store and taking a sip of his own drink. “I don’t want to be associated with that imbecile whenever I meet someone.”

“Jeeze, did something happen between the two of you that I don’t know of?” Maria asked. She rolled after Shadow at a relaxed pace, trying to ambush him and push the glasses back into his quills. “Because last time I checked, you were a bit starstruck when you first saw him.”

“I was not,” Shadow whirled around as soon as those words left Maria’s mouth. His face pinched as he almost spat out his milkshake, almost choking on it a second later as Maria propelled herself forward and situated the pink heart-shaped sunglasses onto his face. He didn’t even bother to try and push her off, allowing the item to be buried into his quills as he corrected her, “I was just… surprised. I thought I was the only one like this, so meeting him came as a shock.

“Mmh, whatever you say,” she hummed, unbelieving as she scooted back, fiddling with her own glasses for a second before pulling out a small bag from another one of her pockets. Undoing it, she brought out a small silver camera, digital, as Gerald was still unsure about giving them any modern technology. “Now, let’s get a photo for the scrapbook.”

“Not now, Maria,” Shadow grumbled, half wondering what else she was keeping in the pockets of her overalls.

“But now’s the perfect time,” Maria whined, trying to reach out and grab onto Shadow so she could pull him closer and into frame, only for the hedgehog to keep sidestepping her. “We’ve got our milkshakes and matching shades. What could be better than this?”

“Relaxing somewhere that isn’t here?” Shadow offered, looking around the side of the street the two were currently on, and not finding anything of particular interest that screamed ‘fun’ at him.

“Don’t be like that,” Maria said as she finally sprang her way over to Shadow, wrapping her arm, which was currently holding her half-finished milkshake, around Shadow’s neck and pulling him in close whilst her other hand lifted into the sky with the digital camera pointed at them. “Just hold still and smile for a few seconds.”

“Maria,” he groaned, though he still looked up at the camera, flashing a glare of his bared teeth as she snapped down on it, capturing the moment that would unfortunately be printed out and glued into a book Maria insisted on keeping. 

“See, all done,” Maria insisted, flipping the little camera around so she could show Shadow the shot. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

“What wasn’t hard?” came a squeaky little voice that had Shadow’s head instantly snapping towards the source, shoving Maria off of him in the process and leaving her to stumble back a few steps as she fought to balance herself on her skates. Finally landing his eyes on who the voice belonged to, Shadow was met with two light blue irises staring up at him, followed by an endless expanse of yellow.

“Who are you?” Shadow couldn’t help but find himself asking, the words escaping his mouth before his brain could realise what he was saying. The yellow creature, which Shadow now recognised as a fox, blinked up at him a few times, the question unexpected, his two tails whirling back and forth behind him.

“Shadow,” Maria quickly gasped. “Don’t be rude.”

“No, it’s alright,” the short fox seemed to giggle, unbothered by Shadow’s confusion. “We never got to officially have a conversation when we first met, so I understand.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Shadow butted in, arms moving to cross tightly over his chest as he stared down at the smaller creature. Stepping forward and putting himself between the fox and Maria, Shadow made sure he didn’t pose as any real threat while he assessed the situation and what the fox had on him. “Who are you?”

“Everyone just calls me Tails,” the fox happily exclaimed. The two tails that had been mindlessly thrashing behind him quickly came wrapping around Tails’ legs, allowing him to grab onto them and fluff them up a bit. “I bet you can guess why.”

Shadow only grunted in response, eyeing the appendages that the fox held in his hands.

“Tails?” A second voice joined the party, this time one that Shadow had familiarised himself with; it made his teeth grit together while his ears pivoted on the top of his head, facing the direction the voice was coming from. A blue blur came speeding out from around a corner at the end of the street, pausing there as it looked around and called, “Where’d you go, buddy?”

“I’m over here, Sonic,” Tails quickly waved over the other hedgehog, fingers stretched wide into the air to make up for his short stature and to ensure he was seen.

Whipping his head around at the sound of Tails’ voice, a beaming grin took over Sonic’s face once his eyes landed on the fox, that smile seeming to only grow when his gaze skittered over to Shadow and Maria. It seemed to only take Sonic half a second to race over to them, dusting off his hands as he came to a stop next to the fox.

“There you are,” the cobalt hedgehog mused as he ruffled the fur atop of Tail’s head. Planting his hands on his hips, Sonic snorted to himself as if he had thought of something funny, taking a brief look around the street the four of them were currently parked on. “Knux isn’t going to be happy I beat him to you, but I guess that’s just what happens when you snooze.”

“You guys could’ve just waited at home,” Tails giggled as he stared up at Sonic, admiration clear in his eyes as if he was meeting his hero for the very first time. “You didn’t need to come looking for me.” “And miss out on all the fun? No way,” Sonic said, puffing up his chest as he grinned to himself. Shadow watched the exchange in boredom, trying to catch the corner of Maria’s eye so he could make a hint at trying to sneak away. Or just flat out leaving, he didn’t mind. Instead of catching Maria’s eye though, he caught Sonic’s, the speedster turning to him with a vexatious glint in his eyes. “Besides, if I did stay home, I wouldn’t have had the chance to say ‘hi’ to our lovely neighbours.”

“Hi,” Maria cheerfully replied to that, raising a hand to wave excitedly over at the new addition. Sonic returned the action with a small chuckle, copying the motion, albeit a lot calmer than Maria. 

It looked like Shadow’s hopes of getting away just flew right out the door.

“Hey, Shads,” Sonic said as he came striding over, attempting to throw an arm around Shadow’s shoulders, only for the hedgehog to shove him back by the face, making sure he was kept as far away from him as possible. Not deterred in the slightest, Sonic cooed, “It’s been a minute. I like your glasses by the way.”

“Not long enough,” Shadow could only grumble, taking a miniature step away from the blue menace whilst eyeing him with disdain, not bothering to comment on that last part. 

“Ouch,” Sonic yelped playfully, a hand sliding up to settle over his heart, the other laying against his forehead as he leaned back slightly, creating a whole ‘woe is me’ scene. “And here I thought we were beginning to become buddies, going on little night strolls together.”

“Since when have you been hanging out with Sonic?” Maria accused, their earlier conversation flaring to the forefront of her mind as she looked to Shadow expectantly, waiting for an explanation.

“I haven’t,” Shadow said defensively, trying to soothe Maria while glaring at Sonic as he seemed to enjoy the mess he was making. “I was just patrolling the area when he came out of nowhere and started bugging me.”

“You don’t need to hide it, Shads,” Sonic mused, dropping his over-the-top act as he tried to saddle up to Shadow’s side again, this time not getting close enough to be assaulted by the cranky hog. Any and all proximity seemed to get on Shadow’s nerves, however, and his teeth gritted together. “I know you enjoyed our time together.”

“You’re insufferable,” Shadow scoffed in response, rolling his eyes as he turned his nose up at the other creature.

“Is that the more impressive hedgehog I hear?” A third voice joined. It seemed as if all the intergalactic space creatures were having a little meeting in the middle of Green Hills on a random Tuesday afternoon, as a red echidna came stomping over to the group, standing far taller than the rest of the anthropomorphic beings.

“Ugh, not this again,” Sonic groaned, swiping a hand down his face as he turned to face the newcomer. Vaguely, Shadow knew he should’ve known who this was, just like the fox, but he couldn’t find a single name to pair with the echidna; it must have flown right over his head whenever it had been uttered to him. “Knux’s, what have we said about names?”

“That people have them for a reason?” he droned out, seemingly a little defeated by the response as his shoulders slumped. 

“Yes,” Sonic said, cheerful for a moment. raising a hand to high-five the echidna, only for him to grab onto it and squeeze as tightly as possible, a pained gasp shooting from Sonic’s lips despite trying to seem as casual as possible. “So let’s use them.”

“You could learn something from that,” Shadow huffed, mumbling the words to himself, though he wouldn’t mind if a certain someone were to catch wind of them.

“It doesn’t apply to me,” Sonic quickly shot out, responding with half a mind as he turned his head slightly to address Shadow while keeping his eyes glued on Knuckles. 

“Oh?” Shadow asked, sounding less than impressed. “And why’s that?”

“Uh, duhhh,” The proud grin on Sonic’s face wavered as he fought back the furrow of his brows, fully abandoning his little teaching moment with Knuckles to instead face Shadow. It was only then, with Sonic leaning into his personal space, that Shadow realised the slight height advantage that Sonic held over him, eyes just above his as his quills steered higher. “Because I just make everything better.”

“Sure you do,” Shadow scoffed with an unbelievable grin, which seemed more like a flash of his teeth, shining through on his features. 

“Is that a challenge?” Knuckles questioned with an excited lilt to his voice as he eyed the space between Sonic and Shadow, seemingly preparing himself to watch a fight. “Does the more impressive hedgehog wish to challenge the last hedgehog I fought to a duel?”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” Shadow said, shrugging. He unfolded his arms and straightened his posture, stepping towards Sonic with the full intent of bringing Knuckles’ wish to life.

“No,” Maria quickly interjected, a hand swooping around Shadow’s waist. She yanked him back, almost sending the two of them sprawling to the floor as the wheels of her skates gave a short spasm. When she was able to finally stabilise herself, leaning heavily on Shadow to do so, Maria declared, “None of you are fighting Shadow.”

“Don’t mind Knuckles,” Tails tried to help, placing a hand on one of the oversized oven mittens he liked to wear and call gloves. “He’s just like that.”

“I’m the last warrior of the Echidna tribe,” Knuckles claimed, raising a fist to the sky. Shadow covered the snort he let out with a poorly timed cough, having to look away from the display momentarily. Paying him no mind, Knuckles carried on, “If it’s a duel the more impressive hedgehog wants, it’s a duel he’ll get.”

“Perhaps they can just come over to dinner instead,” Tails suggested when he noticed Maria coil her arms tighter around Shadow’s waist, a protective streak coursing through her that he was all too familiar with. Being the youngest in a house where they seemed to be encountering world-ending threats, Tails was familiar with seeing the emotions Maria was outwardly expressing.  “On Friday.”

Face scrunching, Shadow tried to refuse, “Absolutely not-”

“We’d love to,” Maria announced, overshadowing him. She shot Shadow a pointed look that told him to pipe down, so Shadow bit his tongue and waited for this all to be over.

“Great,” Sonic cheered, uncaring as to whatever was going on between the siblings. “It’s a date!”

“Yes,” Knuckles agreed without much thought, clapping his hands together with a wide smile on his face. “Your eating contest will be legendary.”

“We should probably head back now, guys,” Tails interrupted, choosing not to say anything on the matter of contests or sparring; he didn’t want to indulge the topic of conversation any further, instead being the responsible one of the group. “Tom and Maddie will be wondering where we are.”

“Bummer,” Sonic groaned, head cranking back as he slumped forward. It reminded Shadow of a toddler throwing a short-lived temper tantrum. Just as quickly as it had started though, Sonic was back to normal and sprinkling around. “We’ll see you two on Friday then.”

“Yep,” Maria confirmed, nodding along with her words. She waved a hand up as the three brightly coloured creatures began making their departure. “See you then.”

Shadow chose to stay silent as he watched them leave, all of them breaking off at different speeds as they zipped away from the convenience store they had all been parked in front of. He only reacted when he saw Tails take to the sky and follow after the two older creatures, a soft furrow taking to his brow.

When she was sure they were all well out of earshot, Maria asked, “What just happened?”

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[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles Leclerc

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 46/45 Word count: 2969 Co writer: @mistrose23

Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

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Bonus chapter

Matilde clicked send and watched the email disappear from her screen. It was nearly noon, and she had granted herself a break once the financial update was out of her hands. Luckily, she had an entire team who could handle the details, but they still needed her final word (even though she still had no idea what was going on. No, only joking). She leaned back in her chair, stretched her arms overhead until her spine popped, then stood and walked away.

The Ferrari HQ was quiet, the usual hum of keyboards and half-muted meetings fading as she passed the open-plan desks. Outside, the sun was warm, something she was finally getting used to. She squinted against the light as she crossed the parking lot toward the bike rack. Her bicycle was one of seven parked there. The light green city bike she had bought nearly fifteen years ago as a student in Copenhagen, was still delivering excellent service. Except today, the chain had slipped off, again, and was hanging awkwardly from the gear.

She unlocked the bike, placed her right foot on the pedal, and pushed off with her left, gliding forward like she was stepping through water. At the side entrance of the garage, she manoeuvred inside and found a free workspace to claim. What a luxury, having something like this available at work, and being allowed to use it. She grabbed her phone, opened YouTube, and searched for a tutorial on fixing a slipped chain. It wasn't her first time doing it, but it had been a while. Sure, there were plenty of people around who could fix it in seconds, but that wasn't the point.

She was avoiding work. And fixing her bike felt like a perfectly justifiable excuse.

She tied her hair up into a messy bun, flipped the bike upside down with a small grunt, and began collecting a few scattered tools while watching the video.

"Matilde," said a familiar voice.

She glanced over her shoulder. Galileo was lowering himself into one of the metal chairs nearby. His expression shifted as he took in the scene before him. "Galileo," she replied, casually.

"You do know we have actual mechanics who also could do that?"

"I'm aware."

"You also know they're literally right down the hall."

"Yup."

He crossed his arms, like he was about to launch into a lecture, but instead paused, eyeing the way she was crouched beside the bike, carefully inspecting the chain. "I will never understand the love people have for bicycles."

"Trust me, it's a love-hate relationship," she muttered. "I grew up with this thing. Cycling's just... part of life. And when I bike to work, I don't have to force myself to work out later. Win-win."

He rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Even after five years, you still manage to surprise me."

"Glad I'm keeping things interesting."

Silence settled between them, interrupted only by the clink of metal tools and the occasional Danish voice from the YouTube tutorial. Galileo watched her, the usual quick confidence in his chest giving way to a creeping wave of guilt. He had thought this through. Rehearsed it. But now, sitting here, he wasn't sure anymore. What if he was wrong? What if this was a mistake?

He didn't want to disappoint her. Not her. He respected Matilde too much for that, more than she probably knew.

"Ow," she hissed suddenly, pulling her hand back. "Fucking hell. Just when my nails were perfect, this fucking bullcrap happens." She sighed, examining the smudge of grease and broken nail. "Whatever."

The way she still biked to work, the fact she was down here trying to fix the damn thing herself... Galileo swallowed the tightness in his throat. He would never meet another boss like her. Not even close. Matilde was... special. One of one. If someone asked him to explain why, he wouldn't even know where to start.

"I, uh..." he finally said, his voice uneven. Matilde looked up, focused on him now. He took a breath. "I really need to tell you something. And it's getting very hard not to just blurt it out." He tried to smile, but failed. "Can we move our dinner to lunch instead?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah, sure."

"Perfect," he said, nodding a little too eagerly.

But she didn't look away. Her eyes narrowed, studying him. Something was off. He was avoiding eye contact, his fingers fidgeting against the chair. She looked around her to see if anyone was there and tilted her head.

"What?" he asked, trying to sound neutral.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Her voice was quiet, gentle, even, but carried that unmistakable edge of clarity she always had when she had already figured it out.

His heart dropped. He looked around instinctively, like someone might have overheard them. "I..." He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."

He braced for her reaction... but it didn't come. Not how he expected.

She didn't look angry, or disappointed. She just... froze. Her expression went neutral, cold even. And yet, her eyes shimmered, tears starting to gather. That contradiction startled him. For five years, he had seen her face crises, failures, brutal headlines, and back-to-back race weekends. Never like this.

"No," he said slowly, blinking, when the realisation hit him. "Wait. Are you leaving too?"

She didn't answer. Not right away.

Tears welled in his eyes now, uninvited. "Matilde..."

But then she smiled. Not a big one, not a triumphant one, just something soft, and oddly peaceful. She gave him a little nod. "Surprise," she whispered.

He stared at her, dumbfounded.

"God," she breathed out, rubbing her hands over her face, "shit," she mumbled when she realised she was probably smearing the grease all over her face. She looked at him again. "I didn't want to say it, thank you for saying it first. I've been having the worst anxiety about how to bring it up."

Galileo let out a laugh, wet with relief and disbelief all at once. "I thought I was going to ruin everything."

Matilde shook her head. "You're not ruining anything. We're just... both done."

He leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Wow."

"Yeah."

They sat in the quiet hum of the garage, surrounded by half-finished projects, motors, and oil-stained tools, two people on the edge of big change, still grounded by a broken bike and an overdue conversation.

"Why and when?" Galileo then curiously asked. "I swear, I don't know how you did this, but you hid everything really well."

She shook her head. "Trust me, it was not. But I handed in my letter this morning." Matilde nodded when she saw his questionable face. She licked her lips. "Because I bought a house. In Denmark. My dream house since I was a kid and... I just had to buy it when it was for sale. It was literally now or never. And I just want to start a family."

"With whom?"

Her face straightened. "I don't care. I just want to be available for that. I want to have children, with or without a donor. I mean, I always need a donor to get pregnant, but you get the point. And if I'm lucky to birth one myself, obviously."

He smirked at her babble. "I get it, I get it."

"And because I'm done here, I've done what I wanted to do and I'm ready for someone else to take it over."

He nodded. She explained it so simply, but he noticed the imperfections Matilde had for this job since this year. She was still the very best and on top of her game, but the sparkle wasn't always there anymore. Not like it used to be. "Congratulations," he smiled.

"Thanks. And you?"

He shrugged. "Felt it was the right time to leave. I'm done with F1 and I'm moving to Australia because why not?"

"Yeah, why not?" A laugh rolled over her face, which made him smile as well. "No, honestly, Galileo, go for it. You deserve it."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," he gratefully smiled. "Anyway, should I book a meeting for tomorrow, or do you want to wait?"

"Mate, that is something for later. First, I need to hear everything from you. Once I'm done fixing this bike, we will go out for lunch. I need to tell the boys first about our departure, then I will book a general meeting myself. No worries." Matilde took a deep breath. "Holy shit," she mumbled.

His heart fluttered. This is why she was the best boss. "Sure." He looked around, still no one in sight. "But what will you do for this year's title?"

"I don't care. Charles has two titles, Max has two titles with Ferrari, I have four titles with Ferrari, and we are running for two titles this year. We are not even halfway through yet. I don't care who wins, as long as no one dies and gets injured. We just need to enjoy the last half, and that's it. Unless, when are you leaving?"

"Finishing this season."

They locked each other's gaze, taking a moment to embrace the calm before the storm.

–

Max gave Charles a brief wave to let him know he had seen him, then cruised slowly down the street in search of a parking spot. He found one quickly, slid into it, and headed toward the building. Charles was just about to go in, but paused when he noticed Max approaching. He was holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Nice bouquet," Max said, eyeing it as he joined him. It had been Charles's turn to buy one.

"It screamed her name," Charles smirked, glancing down at the wild arrangement. As the main characters, two red roses nestled among the chaos, because why not? "After five years, I never would have thought that we would have our monthly work dinner at her house after all." It made him think of the offer she made this afternoon:

"Are you in for dinner tonight?"

Charles raised an eyebrow at his boss, who entered the sim office, a slow grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He straightened up, arms folding across his chest like a man preparing for a challenge he had been waiting for years.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Matilde?" he asked, his voice laced with mischief. "Should I let you pick the place, or do I have to come up with something classy?"

She rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "In your dreams, Charles."

The thing was... he had. For five years. Five years of dreaming about someone who felt just out of reach, even when she was standing right in front of him. Strong. Untouchable. Unavailable. And yet, there she was.

"Seven o'clock. My place," she added casually, turning to leave.

Dangerous place. Too familiar. Too personal. Too close to everything he had spent five years pretending not to want.

"Do you know where Max is?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder.

Oh. Right. That was more on brand. Dinner wasn't a date. It was logistics. And why would anything change now, after all this time? Charles cleared his throat, forcing his thoughts back into order. "He's over at aero, last I saw."

She gave a short nod, that easy, unreadable smile on her face. "Perfect. I'll cover dinner." And just like that, she was gone. Still close. Still untouchable. And Charles was left exactly where he had always been; with a grin, a stupid flicker of hope, and absolutely no idea what seven o'clock was going to mean.

"We got promoted, apparently," Max said dryly. Still, he thought, if anyone had gotten close to Matilde, it was Charles. Literally inside her. Not that it mattered. "You ever been here?" he asked.

"Nope. Just dropped her off once," Charles replied, though the answer was already obvious.

"I have. Not often."

As they made their way to the entrance, they passed a pizza delivery guy scanning the nameplates. He held up the boxes in question. "Matilde?" he asked.

Max stepped forward. "Yeah, we'll take those."

The guy blinked, shrugged, and handed them over. Max handed him two euros; everything he and Charles had in cash.

They carried the pizzas upstairs. When they reached her floor, the door was slightly ajar.

Max tapped his knuckles against it, then nudged it open with his elbow. "Special delivery!" he called.

Soft music played somewhere inside. A moment later, Matilde appeared in the hallway, curls thrown up in a messy twist and a few euros in hand. Her eyes flicked between them and the pizzas, then she smiled. "Oh. Hello. You stole those off the delivery guy?"

"Technically, we intercepted," Max said, placing the boxes on the counter. "Proactive hospitality."

"Very nice. Please tell me you tipped him?"

"Two euros," Max grinned. "All we had."

She leaned in to greet him with a quick kiss on the cheek. Charles held up the bouquet.

"These are for you."

Matilde's expression softened. Wildflowers. And two red roses. Charles and Max. Was that symbolic, or just Charles being dramatic? "They're beautiful," she said, voice quiet, almost cautious. She kissed his cheek too, and the scent of his cologne lingered a little too long. Dangerous.

He followed her into the living room, where Max had already claimed a spot on the couch. Charles glanced around and couldn't help but feel... charmed. The table was modest, white, wooden, with few colourful details. Not showy. No Ferrari-branded nonsense. Just Matilde. She had set this herself. "Nice setup," he said, genuinely.

"Thanks," she replied, gesturing for them to sit.

They ate quietly at first, hunger making conversation unnecessary. Charles took in the apartment. Clean lines, warm tones; a quiet blend of Italian soul and Scandinavian restraint. Nothing screamed racing or management, or status. Just like how she was.

He exhaled slowly. He didn't know why she had chosen to host the dinner at her place, but he was glad she had. It felt like the right place to say it; quiet, private. No eyes or ears but theirs.

"I need to get something off my chest," he said suddenly, then before he could second-guess it, he blurted, "I'm taking a sabbatical year next season."

Max and Matilde both froze.

"There," Charles added with a nervous laugh. "Finally said it. Been holding it in for weeks."

Max's eyes flicked from him to Matilde, waiting for her reaction. Her expression tightened; not angry, just stunned. And then it sank in. She was losing both her drivers. Max had announced his retirement at the start of the season: one last year, and then done. And now Charles. Sabbatical. No guarantees.

"I want to travel," Charles continued, filling the silence. "Backpack, maybe. I don't know yet. But I need a break. Just life, without racing. Then I'll see what happens." He looked at her, heart pounding. Still, she didn't say anything. She just nodded slightly and kept eating. Was that... passive-aggressive?

A long silence followed.

"What are you thinking?" Max finally asked, voice low. "Mattie... don't leave him hanging."

Matilde blinked, swallowed her bite, and straightened up. "Sorry," she said quickly, then turned to Charles. "I think it's a great decision. Go see the world while you can." Her smile was warm, but a little too careful. "I-"

Charles cut in. "What's your real reaction?"

He didn't want diplomacy. He wanted honesty.

She bit her lip. Then sighed. There were so many thoughts going through her mind. Her lips parted, and she looked at Charles. "I am out of words, I am so, so, so, sorry," she whispered. She really meant it. As team principal, this was her worst-case scenario. Two fantastic drivers were not racing for Ferrari next season, voluntarily. GP had resigned last week. This morning, Galileo had too. And now Charles. The pillars of her team were crumbling.

And then... her.

She covered her mouth with her hand and dropped her gaze.

But on the other hand, the team principal was resigning at the same time as her drivers and assistant. So technically, this wouldn't be the problem of the team principal anymore.

She had also resigned.

The irony wasn't lost on her.

And personally? She meant it, she thought Charles was doing something brave and admirable. She was even jealous. Backpacking the world? Freeing himself from everything? It sounded like something she had never allowed herself to do.

But what could she say now?

She cleared her throat and straightened up again. "Okay," she began. "Sorry for the awkward pause. Don't take it personally." Her voice steadied. "As team principal, I would like to thank you for the amazing years you have brought to Ferrari. There were ups and downs, moments we all learned from, we laughed, we had fun, we raced, we won, we lost, we grew. And you should be proud of it. I am proud of you. And it sounds so heavy, sabbatical year, I mean, you could be back the next season. Or not. You will see how it goes, right? Go with the flow." She took a sip of wine. "And personally, I am very happy for you, you should absolutely do it." And then she took another sip. "And personally, I'm really happy for you. You should absolutely do it."

Charles tilted his head. "But?"

Her eyes met his. He looked confused, disappointed. "I- fuck. I fucked that up," she muttered. "This wasn't how I wanted to react. Honestly, I don't even know how I should've reacted." She removed the hairclip from her hair and ran both her hands through it, frustrated. "I've been thinking about how to explain this to the board. Max is leaving, that's public. This morning I got Galileo's resignation. GP quit last week. Now you. And..." she paused for a breath, "...I handed in my resignation this morning too."

And just like that, the room shifted.

Max raised his brows, looking between the two of them. Charles turned to him, wide-eyed. Matilde exhaled, cheeks puffed, then took another sip of her wine.

"Well," Max said, grinning slowly. "How are you going to explain that to the board? Or the press? People are gonna think we staged some kind of protest." Then his grin widened. "But hey, that also means no more contracts after this season." He leaned in, playful. "And no contracts means..." He wiggled his eyebrows.

Taglist: @itsjustkhaos @crashingwavesofeuphoria @maryvibess @ironmaiden1313 @sltwins @heart-trees @npcmia @llando4norris @i-survived-a-shark-attack

[lvrsturniolo]

Good O’l Days •matt sturniolo

Description: Matt and Y/N dated throughout high school, and they both truly saw themselves with each other for forever. That was until during Covid, he and his brothers started YouTube. When they started growing, they stopped hanging out so often because he was always filming. Then, Matt and His brothers started looking for houses in LA. He wanted to take her with him, because they both knew mentally they wouldn’t be capable of long distance. Y/N didn’t have enough money to go with him, and her parents were too strict to allow it. So they decided to break up and stay friends. But the longer he was gone, the less they talked until the only time she’d hear from him would be when she got the YouTube notification from “The Sturniolo Triplets”. What happens with Matt and his brothers revisit Boston and he runs into his girl after all these years?

The diner buzzed with life, its familiar hum of conversation, clinking silverware, and faint oldies playing over the speakers making the place feel like a second home. You'd worked here since finishing high school, and while it wasn't glamorous, it was steady.

The bell above the door jingled, and you barely glanced up from the counter where you were wiping down menus.

“Table for five,” you heard someone say, the low voice pulling at a memory you hadn’t dared revisit in years.

You froze, your stomach dropping as you looked up.

Jimmy Sturniolo.

And Mary-Lou.

And behind them were Chris, Nick, and Matt.

It was as if no time had passed and yet, somehow, an eternity had. Jimmy and Mary-Lou looked just as warm and kind as you remembered, while Chris and Nick still carried that same boyish energy despite looking older. And then there was Matt—his hair a little longer, his features sharper, but his eyes still holding that familiar intensity that once made you feel like you were the only person in the world.

Your heart clenched, and you quickly turned away, hoping they wouldn’t notice you.

“Y/N!” Mary-Lou’s voice rang out, warm and surprised.

So much for slipping under the radar.

You forced a smile, turning back to them. “Hi, Mary-Lou. Hi, Jimmy.”

Jimmy grinned, spreading his arms as though he might hug you. “Well, look at you! It’s been years, kiddo.”

“Three,” you said, trying not to let the lump in your throat show. “It’s been three years.”

“Feels like longer,” Mary-Lou said, her gaze softening as she looked at you. “You so look good, sweetheart! We’ve missed seeing you around.”

You could feel Matt’s eyes burning into you, but you refused to look at him. “Thanks. It’s good to see you, too! Let me, uh… let me get you seated.”

As you led them to a booth near the back, Chris leaned over to Nick, whispering loud enough for you to hear. “This is insane. I didn’t think we’d actually see her.”

“Chris,” Nick hissed, elbowing him in the side.

You pretended not to notice, focusing on keeping your hands steady as you set the menus down in front of them.

“Drinks to start?” you asked, keeping your voice professional.

“Coffee for me,” Jimmy said, smiling.

“Same,” Mary-Lou added.

“And let me guess, Dr.Pepper, Pepsi, and Root Beer?” I say with a small smile, looking to the boys.

Chris grinned and looks up at me “Aye, exactly!” And nick nodded his head with a small smile.

Finally, your gaze flickered to Matt. He was leaning back in the booth, his hands clasped together on the table, his expression unreadable. “Water,” he said softly.

“Oh, okay! Got it,” you said, turning quickly before anyone could say anything else.

As you poured their drinks at the counter, snippets of their voices drifted over.

“She looks the same,” Mary-Lou was saying. “I always liked her.”

Jimmy chuckled. “I told Matt not to let her get away, but did he listen?”

“Dad,” Matt said sharply, his voice carrying a hint of frustration.

You clenched your jaw, willing yourself to focus.

When you returned to their table, Mary-Lou reached out, her hand brushing yours as you set down her coffee. “How have you been, sweetheart? We’ve all wondered about you.”

You swallowed hard, avoiding Matt’s eyes. “I’ve been good. Keeping busy.”

“She’s always been hardworking,” Jimmy said, his tone warm. “We knew she’d land on her feet.”

You forced a smile. “Thanks, Jimmy. I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menu.”

Chris stopped you before you could leave. “Hey, wait. Are you still doing photography? I remember you were, like, obsessed with it.”

You hesitated, surprised he even remembered. “Yeah, I still do some freelance work here and there.”

“That’s awesome,” Nick said, his grin genuine. “You were always crazy talented.”

“Thanks, i miss doing photoshoots with you, Nick.” you said softly, your eyes briefly flicking to Matt. He was watching you intently, his brows furrowed as though trying to figure out what to say.

You stepped away before he could say anything, retreating to the safety of the counter.

The rest of the meal passed uneventfully, though the weight of Matt’s presence was impossible to ignore. Chris and Nick did most of the talking, filling the booth with laughter, while Mary-Lou and Jimmy occasionally threw you warm smiles. But Matt stayed quiet, barely touching his food.

When they finished, Jimmy paid the bill, leaving a generous tip. As the group stood to leave, Mary-Lou pulled you into a tight hug.

“You take care of yourself, okay?” she said, her voice gentle.

“I will, I’ll see you around,” you promised, your chest tightening.

Chris and Nick both hugged you too, their familiar warmth almost making you forget the years that had passed.

Finally, it was just Matt.

He stood a few feet away, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“Y/N.” he said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of all the things left unsaid.

You looked at him, your throat tightening.

“It was… good to see you,” he said, though his tone was hesitant, like he wasn’t sure if he believed it.

“Yeah,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “You too.”

For a moment, it seemed like he might say more, his mouth opening slightly. But then Chris called out to him, and the moment was gone.

You watched as they left, the bell above the door jingling in their wake. The diner felt quieter now, emptier somehow.

And as you stood there, staring at the empty booth, you wondered if Matt felt the same ache in his chest that you did.

a/n-hi everyone! I’ve wanted to write a series for literally forever so I’ve been cooking up some things in my drafts and she’s finally ready!! i hope you enjoy 🫶🏻

[myffithealienn]

What's going on in REAPTIDE???

Hey guys, just got the big video full of lore out and i'm VERY aware of how confusing it is so have a little loredump (all under the cut for you to read)

First things first, the setting:

Folkloric tales say that after the discovery of a reincarnation process (that basically consists in putting your soul into another body to avoid dying), the death rate of humans has significantly decrased.

But great mother nature knows how to keep things balanced, creating a predatory species to human to regulate their population: reaps (or fauches in french), an amphibian specie that is known for having two forms, a human-like form that is actually very pacifist and harmless to humans, to the point of behaving like them and integrating their society, and a wild form wich attacks on sight, aiming for the lethal parts that prevent the reincarnation process to happen.

Human-like reaps are most common in the UK, even though you can find some in western Europe, it seems the further they go from great britain, the higher is the risk for them to go feral.

They usually turn wild under stressful situations.

A lot of countries have to protect themselves from wild reap attacks, not allowing contruction and activity around shores and having military forces keeping the beaches safe on the daily.

All good? Now let's get to the story!!!

On a bright, chilly may morning, on the normand coast, the coast guards, Victoire and Gabriel find two young reap girls in their human state, one exhaused, holding the other, who passed out, in her arms, though Victoire is hesitant to help them out at first, they decide to take the two to her home so that they can rest for a bit.

The one who's awake, Seren, explain to them that her and her friend Avery ran away from the UK to avoid being taken by the church that replaced the orphanage system there (called the church of the child of truth) and is preying on your reap girls first and foremost, their boat got attacked by a wild reap on the way to france and she had to swim with Avery in her arms all the way to the coast.

Victoire calls her higher-ups to know what she should do with the kids, she is told to take care of them at least until Avery wakes up, they'll see then, she isnt to pleased with that answer but rolls with it, however, she wants Seren to assist her in work, because she won't let her crash her house for free.

Seren quickly gets the hang of what Vic ask of her, keeping an eye on the sea, staying outside when the others investigates blockhouses to make sure they dont get attacked from outside, and stick with the group, she doesn't have much to do really, and it seems like Gabriel doesn't either because hes only carrying stuff around and following Vic, she's the only one who's armed in the group.

While the job itself isn't difficult, Seren still has trouble seeing the sea so close to her all the time, it's calling at a feeling roothed deep inside of her, she know what it is but doesn't want to think about it, it would only make her more of a burden for the others, who seem to be somewhat aware of it, Gabriel does his best to help her feel comfortable, but Vic keeps her guard up.

After a few days, Seren starts wondering about the relationship between Vic and Gabriel, since despite living together, working together and that one picture on the drawer where it looks like they were close as kids, they seem pretty distant with eachother.

She decides to ask Gabriel about it, since she gets along with him better.

Gabriel explains to her that the boy on the picture is not him, but the previous owner of the body he's inhabiting, Vic's little brother Gabriel (she reffers to him as Gabi), who he stole the identity of to run away from issues he had in a previous life, Vic is aware of the fact he is not her brother but lets him stay at her house under the conditions of helping her with work, like the kid does.

Seren tells him he's lucky to be able to restart his life from zero, she wishes her and Avery could abandon their problems, but even leaving the country isn't enough, he mentions the fact that once you've changed life a few time, it becomes kind of compulsive, feeling the need to leave everytime you mess up even just a bit, she understands he's saying that from experience, but doesnt pry.

After around a week, the crew is doing their daily patrolling, they've all become more comfortable with eachother, even Vic is starting to loosen up a bit, but the calm doesn't last long, a wild reap crawls out of the sea and charges on Gabriel.

It's been too much for Seren, she is stressed out, she is afraid, she is tired.

She gives up and turns wild, in a last effort to protect her friend, shredding the other reap to tears.

Vic looses composure for a few seconds, but she prepared for something like this to happen, once the now wild Seren is done with the monster, she shoots her, killing her on the spot.

Once at home, Vic calls her higer-ups to report the incident, she's fired, on the pretext that she din't handle the situation the way she should have, they don't elaborate.

Gabriel prepares to leave, he feels like he can't stay any longer, he says his goodbye to Vic and goes to seek another life he could switch to.

After his departure, Vic feels lonely and pointless, she goes back to the living room to discover Avery has woken up.

Here we go, that's all!! Hope you liked it!

Have this art of Seren as a reward

[maleyanderecafe]

Sweet Dreams (Visual Novel)

Created by: C2PHOS

Genre: Horror

Sweet Dreams is a spin off? Sequel? To Missing. This game pulls the breaking the forth wall when you remove the Key, which angers Cro. If you do interfere, he will kick you out of the game for good so be careful when you play. Still, I think this game is a big improvement to the first in terms of story telling as we get to learn a bit more about Cro and the person that he fell in love with.

The story starts out with Lee on a train. She seems tired, constantly checking on her phone until her mother calls her. Lee's mother seems cold and wants her to get to Bolder Springs(her birth place), with this train being the only way to get there. As much as Lee wants to sleep, she can't due to the loud and love dovey couple just sitting a couple of seats away. Upon trying to leave her seat, she ends up bumping into Cro, who seems familiar. Cro will offer her a drink as an apology for bumping into him, which later extends to the couple as well when they butt in. Cro comes back to offer Lee the drink, and the two start talking. The two talk about why Lee is heading to this city. The couple seems to have disappeared and Lee starts to fall asleep, with Cro coming back to let her sleep on his shoulder. He talks about how different she looks as she's passed out, but how he could still remember what she looks like, promising to never let her go.

Cro can also come close to Lee later, when she nearly passes out, after they have a conversation about why Cro never seems to have left Border Springs despite working on the train. Before leaving, Lee calls out to Cro stating that she'd love to be friends with him while she hangs out in Border Springs, leading to a very flustered Cro. The two pinky promise before he leaves to do something in another section of the car.

The last ending (which is hard to undo) requires going into the game and deleting the "Safety Key" inside of the game files. Upon doing this, Lee will have the option to look around the train and not drinking the drink Cro gives her. Going into the empty car, Cro finds the girl from the couple crying. Eavesdropping, she sees Cro looming over the girl, stating that they had come in at a bad time, and that the girl had seen powder being put into Lee's drink. Cro makes a drink, asking the girl about her opinions on love. Cro talks about how he used to see love as strange, even pointless until he saw someone that he cared for, and how much he was willing to do for them. Cro hands the girl the drink, with hair and her lover's eyeball floating inside of it. He forces her to drink it as Lee runs back in an attempt to call someone. Cro immediately appears next to her calming her down. He turns to the player (you) about how he doesn't appreciate people messing with his story before the game quits out.

Going back to the game, you are greeted with a dark screen and a conversation with Cro. Cro is unhappy that you've changed his story, stating that you decided to make this decision to delete the key. Cro allows you to ask him various questions before kicking the player out again. Attempting to go back in will simply leave you with an empty screen.

I think that it's very nice that we see an expansion of Missing thanks to Sweet Dreams. In Missing, we didn't get a lot of reason to why Cro was so obsessed with the MC's friend much less really any information on him besides that he is a yandere. It's really nice that we were able to get more information on the two. Still, while it is the second game there isn't a whole lot of information on the two (especially Cro)'s past. Of course, this is the second installment out of hopefully more, so it's understandable that we don't have the full picture as of yet.

I was surprised to see that Lee is actually (essentially) a rich kid, considering that her mother seems to be pretty high ranking. I'm not sure if those holographic phones are a style choice or if it's just to show that Lee's family is just that rich. I guess based on her appearance, she doesn't really seem like anything too special considering that she dresses in pretty plain clothing. That being said, besides that and the fact that she isn't the best at conversing with people, there's not too much character for her, so hopefully we get to see more in the future about that.

Cro on the other hand gets a lot more development, especially during the endings where you remove the "Key" that allows Lee to walk around the train. We learn that Cro actually views love in a lot more of a shallow way, believing that it's fruitless, until he actually grows into infatuation himself. From what I can tell, Cro basically never had a crush until he met Lee, which then grew to the yandere levels that it is now. Before, at least from what I remember, Missing doesn't really talk about how he views his love for Lee, only that he is rather calculating and willing to eliminate others for his love. We also know that he does have some awareness over us as the player, as he talks directly to us when we mess with the files, leading us to be kicked out the game permanently, or at least unable to access the original game until it is properly reset. How or if it's relevant that he was able to gain this kind of awareness has yet to be stated, so it's hard to say if this is a skill that Cro has or if it's something that's specific to this game and while it wasn't present in Missing, it's unknown if it will change during the next game that features Cro. Cro, besides his ideals of love, also continues to showcase how he will get rid of anyone who interferes with his love with Lee-even to the extent of kicking the player out.

Overall though, I think it's a fun use of breaking the fourth wall with a yandere. Although the concept has been done a lot, I always find it fun to see how people incorporate it into their games and it's now fun to figure out how to do it via code. If you liked Missing, please try out this game if you are curious about Cro's story.

[mamirhodessxox]

Hey There Delilah

Cody Rhodes x Fem OC! Reader

(Delilah Jones)

Storyline: Delilah was born and raised by the beach in L.A and grew up in a home where her parents expected her to go to Harvard & become a well known woman who marry’s a man who is a lawyer after high school. But that’s not what she wanted, She always wanted to own a boutique/flower shop & she did, once her parents discovered she wouldn’t attend college they left her to fend for herself but allowed her little sister Kinsley to visit or sleep over whenever, Her little sister always had an eye for WWE but Delilah never understood why but little did either of them know one of Delilah’s customers would become well acquainted. (Creds to @alyyaanna for helping me w the storyline)

Contents: Toxic parents, Angst, Fluff, Smut in later chapters, Based in May 2023, Alcohol, Violence.

{~I'm very serious with you guys interacting with my writing!!!! it would make me so happy & excited, the more comments & reposts the more inspiration i have to write :) likes and comments are strongly appreciated so please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMEENNTTT the more comments the more content <3!!!~}

Delilah was a very simple girl, throughout her Highschool years before her parents forced her to leave she saved up enough money to own a boutique & Flower shop right under her little apartment right by the beach, She always loved the ocean & it was a dream come true when she noticed she would see it throughout the shop & apartments windows every day.

Since the day her dream came true her Little Sister Kinsley would ride her bike to the shop everyday after school to either hang out or sleepover, Kinsley was an interesting girl, she was 10 pushing 11 & was into 80’s summer music & most of all WWE. Delilah never understood the hype with WWE since it just seemed like a violent thing to watch but at the same time she would find the trash talking aspect interesting.

Delilah on the other hand was a book worm, no matter what she had a book shoved in her face, she loved sewing & making clothes & even had a green thumb, her parents always think that was dumb but they soon came to realization once she moved out she was still alive & well.

It was around 2:30 PM, Delilah just finished planting a few little flower seeds already excited to see them flourish, She knew Kinsley would be on her way soon so she quickly went upstairs and entered her apartment and made her little sister a sandwich before hustling back down & setting it next to the cash register while scampering towards the boutique side humming & just like that Kinsley walked through the door groaning with exhaustion “Hey ley! I made you a ham sandwich, it’s on the counter, how was school?” She smiled amusingly as her sister shrugged sluggishly and bit into her lunch.

“It was so BORING, the only thing I like about this dumb private school is my friends & that’s IT!” Delilah laughed while sewing up a new top “Nobody said school was gonna be fun, why don’t you sit there work on your homework & by 3:30 i’ll close down the shop & we can walk around the pier sound good?” Her sister held s thumbs up & immediately got to work.

An hour passed by & Kinsley just finished her math homework while Delilah stood outside sweeping and flipping the Open sign to “Closed.” Just as she was about to go back inside she heard someone continuously shout out “WAIT” and soon ran towards the door crouching a hit trying to catch his breath while Delilah seems concerned “Oh my god?! Are you okay should I call 91-“ he shook his head standing up and taking a deep breath “flower, need, Please, Any flower.” She furrowed her brows until he grabbed a random pre wrapped bouquet “Please just left me buy these” he smile nervously.

She smiled back & opened the door letting him in to pay & her little sister snorted water out from her nose before running off upstairs while she started ringing him up, He hated awkward silence “That your daughter?” Delilah snickered shaking her head “God no, That’s my little sister.” He hummed shoving 4 20 dollar bills in her tip jar before she announced the price “5 dollars & 20 cents!” He happily obliged and gave her the amount needed “You grow these yourself?” She smiled proudly while nodding her head “Oh! Yes! I make a lot of my own stuff here! I grow flowers, Succulents, I make cute clothes an- I’m talking to much sorry! I got excited!” She smiled as she took a small gasp as she ran out of breath while he let out a light chuckle, he could tell she wasn’t aware at all of who he was which was very humbling and also relieving, she just seemed like a sweet doll who could talk about her proud little flowers all day.

“Well, thank you for going out of your way to let me buy this really quick, I’lll get out of your hair & let you close down. I’ll be sure to visit more often.” He flashes a smile & soon walks out just as her sister returns “Do you not know who that was??!” Lilah turned around and shook her head “No..? Who was that?” she questioned while grabbing her little tote bag & wallet while her sister started going “That was the nightmare guy from WWE! You should know this!” Lilah laughed and held her little sisters hand before walking out of the store to walk around the pier.

It was super crowded out but that was to be expected. Summer break was a week away from starting, the two shared a bowl of mac and cheese from a food truck sitting somewhere “Do you think mom & dad will ever let you come back?” Kinsley asked while Lilah sighed shrugging “I dunno, our relationship is very complicated ley, I don’t want my experience with mom and dad to personally affect yours but if they’re being out of line I’ll go out of my way to keep you with me. You just need to say the word, kay?” Her little sister smiled and nodded her head.

🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸

The next day Ley was still at school while Delilah sat in the shop with the AC on with her hair up in a bun due to the heat while she read a Book behind the register and heard the door open along with the bell ontop ring. So she put her bookmark in between the pages & set it down while noticing the guy from yesterday made another visit “Oh hi!” She chirped out smiling “Hey, Wanted to stop by and see the shop when it’s actually open.” He chuckled and walked around before pointing at the sweaters and tops “You made these?” She nodded “all sewn by me.” She smiled while he hummed and pointed at one of her dresses hanging “That’s really good, when did you start making clothes?” She shrugged at his question

“I was by myself in Highschool and decided to put that free time to my advantage everyday after school. Saved up for a sewing kit and machine.” She smiled while he looked around and noticed her little sister walked in and noticed her face drop “She okay?” He asked in a concerned tone while Delilah smiled in amusement “Yeah she’s just-“ “Holy shit your Cody Rhodes.” Lilah looked over at her sister “Kinsley! Language.” She furrowed her brows while her little sister apologized when Lilas started talking “She really likes WWE” Cody chuckled shoving his hands in her pockets “Yeah? What about you?” Lilah smiled “I’ve never watched it before, wasn’t my kind of thing y’know?” He hummed in understanding & looked around “I’ve gotta ask, i saw little cross in the corner, are you a church girl?” She laughed while her little sister went into the back to get herself lunch “To a certain degree, I go to church mainly for my little sister but I’m still saving myself.” He nodded “Well that’s good sweetheart, y’know I think I might just visit here everyday, Is it alright if I get your number?” Lilah turned her head as Kinsley screamed from the back before trading numbers with him.

“She’ll be alright.”

🏷️ list: @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert @alicerosejensen @bunnybot55 @agent-dessis-posts @adollonyourshelf @valkyrurr @alyyaanna @niknakbucks92 @mini-rhodes @southerngirl41

xtripleiiix’s masterlist

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

Making the Most of It

A follow-up to Blown Lightbulbs by bellygunnr featuring Lasky, Palmer, and Roland and the ever-present passage of time. Here's 3.4k words of AI Possession, brunch, banter, and salvaging your precious time together after a trip to your childhood home.

Also on ao3. This work is mature but not explicit.

The trip to Mars wasn't a total wash just because of the disastrous meeting at the Lasky Household. They still had a few things left on the itinerary that Sarah and Roland had put together without Tom's knowing. And Roland wanted to try those mimosas.

There's some movie droning on the wall sized TV in the background, screen dimmed along with the lights in the room, casting gentle shadows on cream colored walls. Half the pillows are arranged in a comfortable nest, propping them up while the other half are piled on the overstuffed recliner in the other room. They're too high up for street noise, but every so often the passing engine sounds of a ship taking off rumbles through the thick walls of their hotel room.

It’s a little ridiculous, a huge room high above the sprawling landscape of a bustling downtown, views of the shipyard and further out the edge of the terraformed greenery giving way to natural Martian red-brown. A penthouse suite complete with minibar and a bathroom bigger than his quarters on the ship. Beyond excess, but he knows they picked it out for him. Just like they both came along, and comforted him when the house and everything related to it was so damn cold.

The sheets are soft and clean, and the comforter light yet warm, like a cloud surrounding them in their small bubble. Pressed against each other, skin on skin, her mouth moving from his ear to the back of his neck, trailing kisses as they entwine and exist.

He's two people right now and also just one, experiencing the feeling of being held, of warmth and love made physical as she crawls closer and pulls him back against her, their surroundings and worries forgotten as she pets his head, his hair, fingers scratching lightly as her other hand soothes and squeezes his arm, his stomach, his chest. Their legs tangle, his cold feet making her hiss before sighing as they settle down again.

There’s no Mars, no shipyard, no botched family reunion or ghosts of his past haunting them. Just the sounds of her heart beating slow and steady and the dual warmth of being pressed against her and the feeling of his passenger heating the CNI with his presence.

Dozing for a short time, they awaken as the movie ends and another one starts. The reminder that the time they have together is passing makes them oddly emotional, a swelling melancholy that stoppers their throat and leaks out their eyes. They sniffle quietly, blinking away fat, hot tears that slide down to pool on the arm holding them close.

Quiet concern murmured into the spot where two become one makes them fidget and turn, burying their face into her neck and squeezing her tight. She reacts with a forceful hug, one hand coming up to wipe their tears. Rolling over to her back,  she allows them to sprawl across her while they sigh and wheeze as the roiling emotions of two beings settle again. Warmth and a steady rhythm of her breathing soothes them slowly. She waits until their stuttering breathing evens out and kisses their forehead and then both their hands.

There's no hiding here. No need to. No ranks or titles. A brief respite against the rising tide and ticking clock. They may starve for touch outside the four walls of this borrowed room, but here and now is an oasis of privacy. Embracing away from prying eyes, a chance of catching their breath without some threat hanging over their heads, not choking on the signs of their stations collaring them. No need for armor. 

Her hands squeeze and let go of theirs before tracing feather light touches down their back and up their sides, teasing spirals and swirls into twitching skin as they struggle to stay still. Retaliation comes too late even as they try for the spots on her side that make her laugh; she flips them and drags the cover over their head.

Cocooned in the glowing warmth of the backlit blanket, they are pinned by her weight and by her mouth on them. Kisses and raspberries attacking any available skin, their wrists in her hands, their legs pinned by her sitting atop them. They laugh and struggle against her, bucking their hips against the onslaught before she pauses. Her smile beaming down on their flustered face, her hair messy and ringing her sleep-lined face.

"Vacation's not over yet. You can't get weepy on me after one nap, boys." Her voice rasps out of her throat, still thick with sleep. She releases their wrists and drops her arms beside their head, holding the majority of her weight off them as she boxes them in. Her chest presses against theirs, hearts pounding together and she looks them in the eyes and smiles with teeth glinting in the low light.

"We still have plenty of time, and I have a few things in mind." She whispers, grinding her hips down on them as she mouths at their neck, grazing her teeth along the junction between throat and shoulder. She doesn't wait for a response as she moves lower and laves at a nipple. Words seem out of their reach so they make some kind of noise, halfway between a question and an affirmative. She moves to their other side, repeating her actions with teeth and tongue, making them gasp, before she purrs in their ear. "You two should tell me what you want to do. We should make the most of this."

They remember their hands are free and take a moment to figure out where to put them. She notices their slight hesitation and lets them figure it out, only to be surprised when they grasp her face in their hands and pull her down for a kiss.

It's slow and sweet and lingering as they figure out who's driving. Waiting with a patience solely reserved for them, she lets them explore and hums her assent when they do something she likes. After a moment she kisses them back, gently leading this time, growing more forward and licking at their lips til they part; deepening the kiss til they draw back for air.

Their lips are wet and swollen and their eyes are blown wide, rings of gold still shining around dark pupils. Tom's face is flushed and wearing Roland's half cocked grin and she wants to eat them alive and hold them close and never let go all at once.

It must show on her face.

“Like what you see?” The words tumble breathlessly out of Tom’s mouth, but the confident little smirk doesn’t falter.

“Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” 

Their next quip, either Tom’s or Roland's, is lost as Tom’s stomach growls in defiance. The sheepish grin is Roland’s while the embarrassed flush on his ears is all Tom.

“Room service?” She asks, inches from their face. A nod and she kisses them again before pulling back. “You’re buying, Lasky. This place is too rich for my blood.”

She rises, taking the comforter with her as Tom-and-Roland squawk at the rush of cold air. She laughs and throws it back at them as they grumble. 

Going to throw on one of the too-small complimentary robes that came with the room, she chucks a pillow at their surprised face while they bundle up in the regained comforter. 

Yes, Tom could afford to cover the cost. Captain's salary he never spent. The place was expensive, and she was the one that booked the room. Least he could do was pay for the food…and drinks.

They splurge. The numbers on the right side of the menu sit there politely in neat font while she fights her rising blood pressure. They want how much for a burger? She’s out of touch with the cost of tea in civilian populated areas- her own food and nutrition coming straight from the UNSC for so long now. Her main concern was sending money back to Luna for her dad and squirreling the rest away for some inevitable emergency. It’s fine, it’s a vacation, but she can’t imagine spending that much regularly. 

Tom can afford to splurge and being planetside means fresh food. Fresh food alone makes it worth the price. That and Roland's eager to try almost anything. He's practically chomping at the bit for new experiences.

The food arrives on a cart left at their door; the wheels sinking into the plush carpet under the weight it bears. It's covered in silver serving dishes complete with cloches, looking like it's straight out of an old movie. They aren't dressed like it's an old movie though, but it's their vacation. Food tastes better lounging in a robe or half wrapped in a duvet anyway.

Roland delights in revealing their brunch- brunch! Isn't that neat? A meal for people who don't start their day at 0500- and they dig in.

She can't keep the grin off her face as she watches them eat and talk between themselves in one body. Roland seemed to lose most of his usual issues about crumbs and mess in his mission to try as many foods as possible.

She ends up having to hide a laugh in a sip of coffee as Tom reins him in and redirects them away from the mimosas. 

She wonders how long that will last.

Tom's trying to tell Roland that his- their tastebuds didn't like hollandaise sauce, but he's bound and determined to try it all. Watching the usually more reserved duo decimate the plate of bacon and eggs was cute. She was endeared and trying not to be annoyed about it. Her chest felt full and she couldn't stop grinning. 

So the hardened Spartan Commander shoves half a bagel with lox in her mouth and starts fixing a third plate instead of dwelling on it. Hashbrowns and cholesterol will change the funny feeling in her chest. No carefully planned meals here.

The eggs benedict are tried, despite Tom's warning. It has their nose wrinkling in something close to defeat before she distracts them with another dish and finishes off the plate herself. She was never picky about food, couldn't afford to be, but now with free time and Lasky's paycheck, she could agree it was a little weird. Wouldn’t stop her from cleaning her plate.

They start digging into a grapefruit and making faces at the tartness. Fresh fruit was a treat aboard a starship, and most of Roland's secondhand exposure had been so processed or refined, it's no wonder the preconceptions he had were a bit off. She and Tom were having fun forgetting to warn Roland about certain sensations. Sarah was waiting til they switched who had Roland to introduce him to the wonders of capsaicin. 

Still, seeing Tom's face squinched up made her chuckle and lean over, cloth napkin wiping the juice dribbling from their chin.

She's in rare form, so she doesn't insult them. Maybe she's getting soft. Instead, she offers the fruit platter up as a better option. 

"Here. Try these, they're sweet." She holds up a grape, round and cool and much nicer than the ones she's had in the past. So much sweeter and real, no chemical aftertaste or electric purple dye clinging to her tongue. Leaning forward she takes their chin in her hand and feeds it to them, thumb brushing their lip as she waits for their judgment.

They chew and brighten, eyes darting towards the plate in front of her and her face as a blush forms. She leans closer, chin on her hand. "Well, did you like it?"

Tom-and-Roland swallow and nod, and grab a glass of water to wash away the lingering tartness. Their eyes flicker from plate to plate and back to her face. A hand sneaks forward and wraps around the delicate flute of mimosa and she rolls her eyes.

“I want to try it! You’re both making a big deal out of nothing.” Roland says, eyeing it with burning curiosity. 

Three glasses later, they’re giggling as Tom mentions there might be more champagne than orange juice in there. 

“I hadn’t noticed.” She says smoothly, stabbing a waffle off their plate and stealing it before they can respond. The pitcher is on her side of the table, out of their reach, next to her own empty glasses. “Drink some water.”

They smile broadly at her and dutifully sip some water. She can’t take her eyes off them, it’s how she knows they haven’t stopped smiling since they woke up. 

Roland reports he likes the mimosas more than scotch. He also reports he wants to order Irish coffee but she and Tom shoot that down.

“It’s not like we’re driving!” Roland pouts with Tom’s face, but the furrowed brow is all Tom.

Sarah swallows a half chewed bite of food and it goes down jagged and prickling. “I’m driving, you two can argue who gets to navigate.”

Their eyes light up and Tom’s mouth struggles to hold two different smiles.

It’s not a long drive, but traffic and checkpoints to get out of the city delay them long enough for Tom to relax again. She’s glad to see his posture relax and his eyes turn from her to their surroundings. Mare Erythraeum still sported wounds from recent battles. Dotting its landscape like bite marks were great gouges in the ground from ordnance and Jiralhanae ships.

It was more of the same. Signs of war everywhere they went. Signs of the UNSC and its progress were everywhere too. The choking miasma of fuel and engines from the shipyard stunk up their warthog’s cabin for the first few minutes of the drive.

Eventually gray gave way to green gave way to brown. Mars’ red brown soil had been carefully cultivated to support terraforming and human industry before nature had taken its own course back and flourished in an unproductive manner a few kliks out.

Past the old rundown towns that orbited big shipyards where the old hands used to live. It reminded her of Luna in a way. The atmosphere was nice, no fear of failure there, but the signs of age and neglect on old homes next to poorly maintained roads with bright new billboards showing off the latest ads and propaganda. Same everywhere she went. Sad and comforting in a way, as long as you stay useful, you stayed fed, and your home wouldn’t end up boarded up and abandoned.

Now she was overthinking things and being morose, what the hell?

Sarah eases the ‘hog out of the slower speed zone of the small town and back out onto the open highway towards their destination. Few others were on the road this way so she looks over at Tom-and-Roland with a smile, rolls down the windows, and guns the engine.

It takes off with a delayed roar and the wind greets them with its own roar in return.

Her passenger whoops as the warthog shudders and revs under her demanding hands. She wouldn’t push it too hard, not when they had the drive back to the hotel ahead of them. Sarah took care of her equipment and it took care of her - she just expected performance out of the damn thing for the price it cost. That’s what you get with a rental, she thinks with a sigh.

Tom’s hand rests on her thigh while he and Roland watch the road disappear under them. There’s a strange pause in their body language she can see out of the corner of her eye and then they’re sticking Tom’s head out the window.

She laughs, loud and clear at the moment. It’s a good day, beautiful even. They sit back in the seat after about a minute and Sarah smiles at the state of Tom’s hair. She ruffles it with her hand, pleased with the chilled feeling and their sunwarmed face and that she can touch them without looking over her shoulder.

They arrive at their destination with enough time before sunset. The Martian day was nearly identical to an Earth one, and she and Roland had researched their options when Tom had told them about his upcoming trip. Though it seemed Roland kept his thoughts quiet because Tom looks around in quiet awe as they clamber out of the warthog. Their boots crunch on the gravel parking lot and he takes in the trail signs and information boards. 

“The Olympus Highlands Nature Reserve?” He says in a quiet voice. “I’ve never been. Never really left New Harmony until…”

“I always knew you were a city boy.” Sarah says with a nudge. “And we don’t get enough time planet-side. Love the atrium, but I thought we might like something a little more real. Don’t worry, I’ll still go slow.” She smirks at him and swallows her own uncomfortableness at Tom’s emotional display. 

“Thank you, Sarah, Roland, I mean it. I-” His eyes shift and he swallows. Sarah allows him and Roland this brief mental scuffle while she unloads the packs.

“You won’t be so grateful after I make you hoof it up the trail. You’re pulling your weight here. The both of you.”

“Yes, Commander.” They say together. She turns on them, glowering at their wry smile and warm eye contact.

She scoffs and slaps the pack into Tom’s hands. “Maybe I’ll lose you on the trail, be free of this. Officer types never listen to me.”

“But then you’d be in charge.” They say, tilting Tom’s head to look at her with his stupid brown eyes wide and pleading.

She looks away from them playing dirty. “Damn, you’re right. I need you two around to do all the boring work. I guess you’ll survive the trip.”

“You always say the sweetest things.” They say as they put on the pack with a huff.

“Shut up and get walking. Roland needs to see how plants fix our monkey brains so he stops bothering the crew.”

“I ask a few questions and everyone gets so offended!” Roland whines, throwing Tom’s hands up before crossing his arms.

“Come on, I want to get moving.” She calls over her shoulder, three strides ahead of them and already ducking into the tree lined path.

They follow without complaint. The trees swallow the road noise and then they are left with only the soft orchestra of the park. Wind rustling the leaves as the sun dapples them with faint light, bird and bug calls echoing from all angles, and the sound of flowing water from somewhere down the path. There’s a low call from the valley where the Reserve houses its animals and information center. A strange baying noise that sounds like the braying of cattle crossed with an elk’s eerie keening voice. They stop and listen. The wind blows an answer that whips their hair and clothes around. Sarah and Tom inhale in unison and release the breath before turning back to their path.

Roland chuckles with Tom’s voice. “I think I get it.” 

Sarah takes their hand and they climb.

The path snakes up the incline, grasses and tree roots anchoring the loose red brown soil while they slowly turn the whole hillside green. Rocks rounded by water and time glisten on the creek bank while dark shapes dart just below the waterline. Dragonflies and other insects flit around in an unknowable dance while larger wildlife scurries into their holes and hiding places amongst the decaying logs and nest-heavy tree branches.

Sunlight dims as time marches on, but it has been time well spent. Tom-and-Roland still feel the ache at the reminder, but the sadness is no match for the warmth of Sarah’s hand in theirs.  

The path leads them to the treeline and beyond. A few more steps up the ridge has them standing on the precipice of one of Mars’ many craters-turned-valleys. They sway in the last of the sunlight as their star edges ever closer to the horizon, dyeing the skyline a cool blue.

Dust particles and Martian atmosphere, Roland thinks, but the scene is all too familiar to Tom. It hurts less than he thinks it would. Being on Mars, seeing the same sunset he watched disappear into darkness when he was left alone. Time passes, but it doesn’t have to hurt. At least, not all of it.

He-and-Roland inhale and exhale, a deep lung-filling breath that nearly escapes them without shuddering. The wind is chillier up this high, but Sarah’s there. Her hand is warm, and so is her arm as she draws them in close to watch the horizon.

They look up at her face and smile. 

It’s her first Martian sunset, they’d missed yesterday’s at the house. Her eyes are clear and her shoulders lower in the most relaxed body language they’ve seen all trip. She needed this too. 

“You know,” She swallows, uncharacteristically quiet. She mulls over her words even as she doesn’t take her eyes off the sky. “I could get used to this.” She says with a squeeze of her arm around them. The wind is chilly and night will be too, but it’s not so bad. He’s not alone.

“Me too.”

[gardenoflupins]

Grief/Mourning / @wolfstarmicrofic / 878 words

CW: implied self harming tendencies and suicidal thoughts

Remus stirs his tea blankly.

His shitty apartment was dark and suffocating. He kept his blinds drawn and never bothered to turn the lights on. It made no difference to him. He never took in the world anymore. Not since Lily and James had died a year ago by the hands of the man they all loved more than anything in the world.

In the first few weeks following their deaths, people he used to go to school with sent him letters to express their condolences.

It only took a month for the letters to stop completely. One month and everyone went back to their lives. They shopped, they talked, they laughed, they loved, while Remus stayed permanently stuck in time.

He thinks it will always be like this for him. Another year would pass and he’d still feel the same as he did. Then another would pass. Then another. Then another. He feels a bitter sort of resentment for those who continued on with their lives when Remus’s own remained grey and loveless. He had lost two brothers, a sister, a nephew, and a lover all at once.

Yet the world continued moving.

After forcing himself to drink the tea, Remus would move to sit on the desk chair that still had Sirius’s leather jacket hanging on it. It had sat there untouched for over a year and Remus couldn’t bring himself to throw it out because it was the very last thing he had of Sirius. Remus had cast a spell to keep the scent locked in, finding it unbearable to think of even that little thing slipping through his fingers when he already lost everything he had. He’d sit at this desk for hours on end. Too afraid and guilty to touch and inhale the jacket, and too empty and cold to do anything else but sit in silence.

Everyone lied when they told him that time would heal all. It didn’t. He felt more and more heartache as the loneliness suffocated any inkling of life left in him. He had been reduced to a marionette and there was no difference between this and being under the Imperius Curse. The Imperio would at least hurt less. He would have to go through this grief again next year, then again, then again.

Some days he would work at temporary muggle jobs until they eventually fired him for his illness, and he’d repeat the job searching all over again.

Then he’d have tea.

And mourn.

And grow numb.

Then he’d have tea.

And mourn.

And grow numb.

More tea.

More mourning.

More numbness.

Then the full moon would come. He’d tear himself raw as the wolf that was once called Moony would grieve over his missing pack. And Remus would allow it. He never complained about the physical pain the next morning. If anything, he welcomed the feeling. Nothing could ever come close to the pain Remus felt each waking day that his family was gone. The deep cuts and mauled skin were featherlight touches in comparison. Remus only felt anger when he’d eventually wake up and pull through. In his youth, he and his friends would worry about the fact that werewolves didn’t live long as they were known to be the reason for their own demise.

Remus sits there bitterly, realising they had wasted their fear on nothing. He wished that the textbooks were right, and he hated Moony the wolf every day because of it. One job. He was a bloodthirsty killer with one job. And he couldn’t even do that right.

Remus hates himself most of all. Even more than he hated Sirius. He hates himself for the way he was. For deluding himself into believing that his friends loved him despite being a werewolf when in the end he was abandoned for the very same thing. He hates himself because he thinks that if he had been born as someone different then he could have avoided everything that went downhill. He could have saved them all.

The biggest reason why he hated himself is because even after everything Remus still loved Sirius. Sirius killed Remus’s only friends and he still loved him. Sirius distrusted and despised him during their last months together and he still loved him.

But it was the previous version of Sirius that he loved. Or more accurately, the one that never existed. It was Sirius who was bold and confident, loving and mesmerising. Sirius who accepted Remus entirely and gave his heart and soul to all his friends.

It was that version of Sirius that Remus missed more than anything. A year later and Remus still can’t associate that Sirius with the real one. His mind protected him from it. They weren’t the same people. He convinced himself Sirius had died. And he had. All the good parts of him died.

That’s the Sirius that Remus mourns.

That’s the Sirius that Remus loves.

And still the world would have the heartbreaking audacity to continue moving on when he was left as nothing but an animated corpse forcing itself to pretend to be human.

So, he’d have his tea.

Mourn.

And go numb.

He’d have tea.

Mourn.

And go numb.

Tea.

Mourn.

Numb.

Tea.

Mourn.

Numb.

Tea.

Mourn.

Numb.