#you step on it when you try to engage with the story and get smacked in the face for it

[unofficialadamtaurus]

Adam could've been a personal enemy to the entire team, not just Blake and Yang. He has the color motif and mask that implied a connection to Raven. The Schnee company logo literally branded on his face. But noooo he exists as a catalyst for the bees and nothing more. What a fucking waste.

What a fucking waste indeed.

[watermelonsugacry]

Hii! I don't know if i didn't check properly if you had written it, but when is their weddingggggggg, are the 1d members invited or is it an intimate gathering!?!?!?! i need to knowwwww!

Forevermore

A/N: SINCE 2010 ficmas day 5! sorry for the super late post again, im so bad at this lovies 😅 but she's finally here and probably one of my most favorite chapters in YNrry's story!!

SUMMARY: YN and Harry finally (and secretly) tie the knot in her hometown surrounded by their closest friends and family on their anniversary. Here is where they reminisce a couple of Christmases back when they officially became a couple along with some unexpected circumstances. (8.7k)

GENRE: 1dbandmember!yn

SINCE 2010 masterlist // ficmas 2022 masterlist

"YN!" The couple looks up towards the front door to see a very excited Penny on the porch. The two bark out a laugh as they see the woman with her hands in the air, her hips shimmying from side to side before making her way down the porch steps. YN meets her step mum halfway and they join each other in a tight warm embrace. 

After YN and Harry wrapped up their last shows of the year for their world tours, it was time to pack their things and fly over to Doncaster for their small, secret wedding. They’ve done their best acting work yet in keeping their engagement away from the public eye for almost a year and it was finally time to fulfill their promise to become husband and wife on their anniversary.

After some careful planning, the couple ultimately decided to have their wedding at the Tomlinson’s family home right in the backyard with a few selected guests outside of their immediate family members. 

"Hey mum," YN mumbles into the older woman's shoulder.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, my baby," Penny reaches out, gripping Harry's wrist to pull him into the group hug as well. YN’s stepmum has so many wonderful and cheerful qualities about her but the one thing that Harry loves the most about the love of his life's mum is that she never fails to make someone feel so welcomed.

"Ugh, you're here. You both are finally here. And you mister," Penny pulls back to shove a playful finger at Harry's chest. "I haven't seen enough of you in a hot minute."

“Been a bit busy with work and everything but never too busy for you, Pen,” He gives the older woman a charming smile. Penny squeals and pinches at Harry’s cheek.

“Yeh too sweet, can’t get enough of you!” Penny hooks her arm through with her daughter's and walks back towards the grand house, "Harry leave those bags there in the car. I'll have Louis and the boys come out and help you with that so if I see you carry them inside I'll smack yeh. Come on!"

As they walk up the rest of the gravel driveway, Harry can't help but think back and reminisce on the night he took YN to his mum's house for Christmas almost four years ago in 2019.

...

Harry opens YN’s car door as she carefully tries to take off her seatbelt while simultaneously trying to keep a homemade cookies bag from toppling over. 

While YN spent Christmas Eve/Louis’s birthday with the rest of the Tomlinson clan, aka her family, she couldn’t possibly deny Anne invitation to spend Christmas day with the Styles. It was a new experience for her spending this holiday away from her family, but she was more than happy to comply with her best friend’s mom’s wishes. 

After spending two months in Malibu earlier in the year, and after having having a much needed talk with Harry about their feelings for one another, they’re still trying to navigate how to go through with their acts of devotion towards one another. As much as it hurt the both of them to end their relationship once more, they decided to do the healthy thing for once and focus on themselves and their mental health first before pouring out everything they have toward someone else. 

It turns out that their crisp trepidation was too heavy to simply shake off so quickly.

Their friendship, however, could never be tossed aside.

When she closes her door with her hip, she can hear Harry close the backseat door and he holds the Christmas gifts they brought for the Styles family. Anne’s house reminded YN so much about her stepmum’s home: a tiny little cottage-like home with a vast amount of greenery surrounding the area. It instantly brings a smile on her face and makes her feel at home being away from home.

“Hey um,” YN looks up at Harry as they walk up his mother’s driveway. “I just want to say that I really appreciate you being here. I know you spend this time with your family so I just wanted to say that it means a lot that you’re here with me. You really didn’t have to.”

“Well, remember I’m only here for Anne,” YN jokingly reminds her friend.

“M’being serious though.”

“So am I.”

“YN,” Harry stops them as the reach the front door. Due to Harry's hands being full, she takes the liberty to reach out and ring the doorbell. “Look, before we go inside, there's something I need to tell you...”

“I’m all ears.”

“I-”

“YN!” Anne's voice breaks through the space and she’s instantly lighting up from the older woman’s energy. Anne wastes no time pulling her in for a hug while Harry is left hanging in nervousness. “Merry Christmas, hun.”

“Merry Christmas, Anne. It’s been so long,” YN says over her shoulder. She’s missed her so much more than she realized as she almost gets emotional at her embrace.

“Too long. It’s a crime that Harry doesn’t bring you along when he comes home,” The two women look over at Harry but YN notices how he quickly puts a smile on his face. She slightly furrows her eyebrows at his actions but before she can fully question him, Gemma comes out from the hallway and walks towards the three of them.

“Hey you,” Gemma immediately wraps her arms over YN’s shoulders.

“Hey Gem. How’ve you been?” The two of them sway quickly back and forth for a second before pulling away.

“Great now that you’re here. Hopefully my brother hasn’t been giving you much trouble,” Gemma says while nodding her head to Harry. When she looks back at Harry again, she sees his mum helping him with the gifts they brought. He looks up at her again as well and smiles a closed lipped smile, they kind where his dimples don’t dig into his cheeks in the way she likes. 

What’s up with him?

“Never. Oh—” YN quickly remembers the big ziploc bag in her hand. “Me mum made cookies earlier today and she wasn’t gonna let me come over here without bringing you all some.” 

“Aw, you all are too sweet. I love that pretty Penny to death,” Anne gushes as she takes the bag from her extended hand and beckens YN and her son to come further into the house. “Make yourself at home, YN. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the family and later we have some games we’re going to play. So bring your A-game, the Styles are very competitive—not like you don’t already know. Especially these two,” Anne points to her two children.

“Well m’not one for losing either, Annie, so they better have their guards up,” YN smirks and the two women pretend to be baffled before they all break out into chuckles. “And I will, thank you.” 

When Anne and Gemma both walk and disappear further into the home, YN turns to Harry and begins to take off her shoes. “You alright, babe? You look a little pale,” She puts the back of her hand to Harry's forehead just to make sure. Harry shakes his head and softly grasps her hand in his.

“Yes...well maybe? I dunno, really,” He lets out a nervous chuckle and it only makes her more concerned. “I just need to let you know that—”

“Uncle Harry!” A little boy YN recognizes to be one of Harry’s few nephews comes running up to the two of them and Harry is quick to put a bright smile back on.

“Hey, look at you! You’re so big now,” Harry wraps his arms around the back of the boy’s legs and lifts him up. “You’re a full-fledged adult now, aren’t yeh? Look at that mustache on your lip. See that, babe?”

“Oh yeah,” YN plays along with Harry’s teasing. “Might need a trim soon, for sure.”

The young boy laughs when Harry wiggles his fingers under the little boy’s armpits before setting him down. Soon after, the little boy is dragging his uncle further into the house and into the living room announcing how he needs to show him all of the new toys Santa brought him last night. When Harry gives her a shrug of his shoulder with yet another tight-lipped smile as he gets whisked away, she’s left wondering what he needs to tell her so badly.

...

When Harry trails behind his fiancée and her mum inside the Tomlinson house, the sound of chatting and commotion fills the spacious living room instantly. 

“Aunt YN!” A little carbon copy of Louis comes running to up YN and he tightly wraps his arms around her torso.

“Freddie! Aw you’re too big now, lad. Almost didn’t recognize yeh. How are you, little man?”

Harry happily looks on at how the Tomlinsons come up to hug and greet YN before they get to him. YN can’t help but coo when Lottie carries in her new baby, she does her secret handshakes with each of set of twins and warmly greets the older Tomlinson grandparents. As Harry finishes greeting Lottie’s boyfriend, he fondly looks at how her and Louis give each other a kiss on the cheek before staying in their embrace for a minute longer than she did for the others.

“Why didn’t no one tell me one of my favorite girls is finally here?” Anne quickly wraps her arms around YN as soon as she pulls away from her childhood best friend's hug. 

“Should I be offended that my mum hugged my fiancée first and not me?” Harry hurtfully yet playfully asks his old band mate.

“Deeply,” Louis jokes before pulling him in for a hug, patting him heavily on the back. “S’good to see you, man. Ready for the big day?”

“He’s been ready since he was practically sixteen,” Gemma interrupts with a sassy smile. “He’s gonna have to blow the dust off the paper he wrote his vows on from how long ago her wrote them—hey!” His sister laughs when he gives a playful (yet very real) shove to her head.

...

The night has been a blast so far. The Styles family were much like Penny and the Tomlinson’s in how family is at the core of their lives. After getting introduced to the few family members she didn’t know, they quickly accept her like they’ve known her all their lives.

Harry can see just how naturally good she is at everything. She wins over the grumpy grandparents who only seem to smile once a year and now has them doubled over in laughter. She’s a fierce competitor at all of their family games and doesn’t hold back from her brutal skills as she goes head to head with him over a play of some guessing game. When it’s time to set the table, she’s quickly removing herself from her close spot next to Harry to help Anne with anything she needs.

“Well, she certainly seems like a lovely girl,” Gemma says lowly once she’s slid on over next to her brother. “Very companion worthy.” When she sees him start to pinch worriedly at his bottom lip, she gives him a sympathetic smile, “Still haven’t told her yet, huh?”

“No, and neither will you.”

“You’re gonna have to tell her, H. You have to tell one of them or else it’s just gonna blow up in your face,” His older sister reasons. She’s right, and he knows that she’s right.

“I will,” Harry lowers his voice when he sees YN and his mum come out of the kitchen with plates of food in their hands as they go about setting up the dining room table behind him.

It startles him when he feels two hands on his shoulders and he feels a smile creep onto his face when he feels the side of YN’s face press up against his, “Dinner is officially served. Come on, your mum wants you to sit next to her, and I want to sit next to you.”

With a squeeze of his shoulders, Harry feels giddiness zip through him at her comment and ignores the knowing look his older sister gives him as he gets up from the couch.

...

As everyone gets settled in—mums hustling in the kitchen, little ones running every which way, and the older children talking among themselves in the living room—Louis and YN take a moment to sit outside together away from all the chaos. The backyard was essentially all set for tomorrow. As the two sit on one of the couches of the spacious backyard, in front of them sits two sections of seats, a walkway in the middle and an altar made of branches awaits at the end. The arch of the altar is filled with white flowers. 

The couple was thankful that the England weather was relatively warm this year as there was barely any snow in sight. 

As the two stare out at the set up, YN lets out a sigh, wrapping her arms around her legs and fidgets with the butterfly ring on her finger, “This is kind of surreal, yeh know? Like, after all this time we’re finally gonna do this,” YN huff out a giggle. “Remember when Harry gave this ring a couple of Christmases ago? Feels like ages away."

Louis offers his cigarette to her and she shakes her head to decline.

“That’s around the time he told me he had a crush on you.”

YN snaps her head towards her childhood best friend, “Whot! He told all those years ago?”

“S’not like it was a secret. He practically kissed the ground you walked on. It was pretty fookin’ obvious, love. You know...eh never mind.” Louis shakes his head with a smile and brings the white stick back to his lips, taking a long drag. 

“Oi! Y’can’t say that and then not say what you were going to say,” YN pushes at his shoulder. 

“I dunno why I even brought it up. Don’t know if I should even tell yeh,” YN raises her hand as a threat to hit his shoulder and he slightly cowards back with his hands raised. “Oi, alright, alright. It’s not even a big deal.”

“Y’making it seem that way though. Y’got me all nervous.”

“Well,” Louis tilts his head back as he blows the smoke out from his lungs. He scratches his eyebrow with his thumb with a sigh, “He’d kill me if he knew I was telling yeh this but...y’mum wasn’t the only one he asked for a blessing to marry you.” 

She furrows her eyebrows and tilts her head as she looks to her childhood best friend, her brother. 

“Are...are you sayin’ that Harry asked you as well?” 

Louis just gives her a small smile and silently nods down to himself, bringing his cigarette to his lips once more. 

In the next second, her eyes begin to water at Harry’s gesture. The fact that he went the extra mile to ask her childhood best friend—the man who she sees as an older brother—if he had approval to become her husband makes the love she has for her fiancé grow more and more. She turns her head to look behind her and through the sliding doors that see into the kitchen. 

Penny has Harry’s hands working on needing out a tough ball of cookie dough. He listens intently to her instructions as she pours various cookie toppings into different bowls. His own mum rummages around the kitchen as well, helping learn how to make her soon-to-be mother-in-law’s infamous chocolate chip cookies. 

It seems as though Harry must not be kneading the dough fast enough as her mum comes up behind him and aids his hands into the mix. YN can’t hear it from being outside but Harry’s face says it all as he begins to laugh at the playful action. His eyes crinkle and his dimples pop out as he lifts his shoulders in a fit of giggles. 

YN huff out a small laugh through her nose at the sight and she can’t stop the rogue tears that escape as she falls more in love with the man inside.

“M’happy for you, love,” When she turns her gaze back to Louis, he nods toward the house. “Harry he...he really loves you, YN. He’s gonna be a good husband. And if he isn’t, I’ll kick his arse.” 

YN can’t help but let out a watery laugh, wiping under her eyes before snuggling under his extended arm, “I believe you.” 

They both enjoy the quietness of the outdoors a little longer until they turn their heads to the sound of one of the doors sliding open.

“Auntie YN,” Freddie excitingly steps onto the porch, his cheeks turning pink by the second.

“Freddie, where’s yeh coat?” Louis scolds. 

“Sorry daddy but Grandma Penny said it's time for you to come inside or, or else you’re going to get sick,” The little boy with his father's eyes quickly explains before scurrying off inside.

“You coming inside, Lou?” YN asks, still stuck to his side. He gives her shoulder a squeeze and throws the bud of his cigarette into the grass. 

“Let’s go. Yeh know, you’re gonna be having to scold yeh own kids pretty soon.”

“One step at a time, Lou.”

...

It was safe to say that it’s been a good while since YN has had a home-cooked meal and Anne never fails to provide such delicious food—especially now as everyone feasts on their full plates. Harry’s mum sits at the head of the table, her two children sit in the next seats beside her and YN is seated happily next to Harry. As they all eat and chat away, YN puts a hand over her mouth to prevent food flying out from laughter at one of his uncle’s stories.

Throughout the dinner, her and Harry have been acting like they usually would any other time they’re together. Like when they were all sitting on the couch listening to funny (and embarrassing) stories about each family member, YN sat contently under the comfort of Harry’s arm draped over her shoulder. Or after a round of another guessing game, Harry takes her in his arms and gives her a spin after their team’s victory; boasting loudly and planting a friendly kiss on her cheek. 

Or like now as YN’s giggly body subconsciously leans over to Harry, he doesn’t think twice about putting a hand on her knee, leaning further into her as he lets out a laugh of how own. 

“And when I looked down, it was in my hand the entire time!” His uncle explains the ending to his amusing story and the table goes into another fit of laughter and chuckles. His aunt brings a clothed napkin to wipe under her eyes and playful smacks her husband’s shoulder. 

When YN looks to her best friend, they both shake their heads as giggles and chuckles push past their lips. She gives him the smile that always makes his knees weak and he’s never been more thankful to be sitting down at the sight. 

Anne looks over fondly to her son and YN next to her and can’t help but wave a hand excitedinly in front of her, “YN, dear. I’m so happy you came over for today. But you’ll have to excuse Uncle David over there, he’s a bit of a jokester.”

“Not at all,” YN dimisses with a reassuring wave of her hand. “My uncle Teddy is the same way. It’s nice to see that humorous uncles run in good families.”

It’s nearly impossible to not be in awe of the woman sitting next to him. She’s just so naturally good at everything, and much like her stepmum, she can always make a person feel welcomed, special even, with just one look.

“I’m just so happy that my son has finally brought his girlfriend over for Christmas,” Anne beams from her seat at the head of the table and YN’s fork squeaks against the china plate. Harry nearly chokes on the glass of wine in his hand and Gemma looks up at her the two across from her with wide eyes. The wind gets knocked out of YN as she failed to notice that he was seeing someone on the side, that she failed to notice the possible woman in the room...but another realization presses down on her chest. 

She can feel her best friend tense up next to her and it all makes sense now: Harry didn’t tell his mum that they weren’t together anymore. Harry’s mum was referring to YN.

YN thinks quickly and instead of politely correcting his mum or throwing out all of the questions racing in her mind, she smiles softly at Anne and says, “Thank you for having me.” When she turns her gaze to Harry, he sees him give her an appreciative smile, “M’really grateful to be here with all of you. I’m a very lucky person today.”

“I’m the lucky one,” Harry comments truthfully. He’s so grateful to not only have his best friend over for such a memorable day but for her not exposing him to his entire family on Christmas day. He removes the hand on her knee to bring her hand to mouth to place a kiss on her knuckles and the table looks onto them fondly.

Before Anne can get all teary-eyed over the sight, she puts on a loving smile and announces for everyone to continue to eat up before the food gets cold. As everyone dives back into their own conversations and the room is filled with chatter and silverware claking again, Harry leans over to whisper in YN’s ear.

“Thank you.” YN gives her friend a warm smile like he’s telling her something loving, partly because she feels for him and partly because his mum hasn’t taken her eyes off of them yet, “I can explain.”

“Later,” YN whisper back, interlocking her hand with his. “In the meantime, is yeh nose alright? Looks like wine sky-rocketed out from there from the news," She giggles behind her own glass and Harry falls more in love with her with every passing second.

...

As the night before their wedding day comes to fruition, everyone in the house was sent promptly to bed to be ready for tomorrow—especially the bride-to-be. Penny, Anne, Gemma, and Lottie all shooed Harry away from his fiancé and made sure YN was tucked into bed as soon as possible as she needs her beauty sleep before the most important day of her life. 

While Harry was shoved into a room of his own, he couldn’t stop tossing and turning. As excited as he is for the next day to arrive, he can’t seem to fall asleep without his love snuggled up next to him.

As the rest of the house is already in deep sleep, Harry pads his bare feet out of the guest room and makes his way into the kitchen. He knuckles at his eyes and reaches for the handle of the refrigerator. 

“Not gettin’ cold feet are yeh?” 

Harry nearly jumps out of his skin, quickly turning around to spot his fiancée sitting on top of the dining table. She holds back a laugh around the cookie in her mouth and he notices that she has a steaming mug sitting on the table by her hips. 

“Of course not. Been waiting forever for this day, think m’just too excited to sleep,” He makes his way over to her to stand inbetween her swinging legs. “What are you doing up?”

“Same here. Too jittery to wait until tomorrow,” YN keeps her gaze on the mug next to her as she dunks her stepmum’s homemade cookie in the hot chocolate as she bashfully says her next words. “Plus, I couldn’t really fall asleep without you with me so...”

It’s hard for the two of them not to be reminiscent of always meeting up back in the kitchen: from their two month trip in Jamaica, while making his second album in Malibu, when they officially became a couple in 2019—it all seems a little full circle.

"Will you be a good bride-to-be to your soon-to-be husband and let me have a bite?" He nods toward the chunky cookie in her hand with a grin, ultimately deciding that he can't tease her for her sleep comment because it's the same reasons he's up. He leans forwards when she offers him some but scoffs when she swerves it out of the way at the last second and into her mouth.

When she finishes her chewing, he hushes her laugh by pressing his lips to hers. He pulls her in closer by gripping her hips and she happily cards her fingers through his hair. When teases his fingers under the waistband of her sleep shorts, she pulls away with a giggle.

"Harry, baby we can't here," She whispers into the air as he begins to nibble down the side of her neck.

"Why not?" He mumbles onto her skin and the sound of his boyish whinnying makes her smile.

"Because, quite literally, our closest family members are all currently sleeping under this roof. Me mum can walk in on us. Or your mum. Or Louis-"

"They will walk in on us if you don't hush up," Harry points out and it makes his dimples dig into his cheeks when she giggles softly. "Don't you want me, baby?"

"I want you," YN mumbles shyly and it has him quickly bringing his mouth to hers again. She pulls him closer with a tug of his hair and he groans against her, a noise that has her shushing him just the same way he did to her.

They try to keep as quiet as they possibly can but it turns difficult when they can't stop giggling and hushing each other. Especially how she has to dig her face into his shoulder when he tugs their shorts just low enough until her can push inside her or being shushed when he has to stop to move the steaming mug of hot chocolate to the seat. He tells her to be quiet through a chuckle when she goes to lay her back against the hardwood table and she lets out a string of giggles when the table starts to creek from their movements. Her laughs turn into quiet moans and whimpers when he begins to pound into her and he brings his hand over her mouth as they both come undone.

After busting out the disinfecting bottle and vigorously wiping down the table, Harry escorts her back to her room.

“What?” YN questions when he sees Harry give her a lovesick smile, the same kind of smile that begins to tug one on her own lips.

“This is our last night with you being my fiancée.”

She hums out in agreement. It’s at this moment that she realizes that the scary feeling in her tummy for tomorrow isn’t necessarily out of fear, but excitement. All this time she thought she might be second-guessing herself, making herself think that she wasn’t good enough for Harry, that he deserves someone better. But this gooey twist in her stomach is from how giddy she feels, about how much he loves her. He wants her to be his wife, no one else.

She can’t help herself from stepping forward, placing a hand on Harry’s chest to lean up on the balls of her feet to gently press her lips to his.

“Good night, my fiancé,” She mumbles against his lips.

“Fuck, I can’t wait to make you my wife.”

“Until tomorrow, my love.”

He reluctantly pulls himself away from her with a deep sigh, “I’ll be waiting at the altar.”

“I’ll meet yeh there.”

“Good night, lovie.”

“Good night.”

YN giggles at how neither one of them makes an effort to move from their spots.

“You love me?” 

She barks out a laugh but quickly puts a hand over her mouth to muffle the contagious sound. He puts a warm hand over the one over her mouth while the other puts a finger to his lips, a dimpled smile already breaking out.

“I can’t stand you,” She teases in a whisper. “But of course I love you. Agree to marry you, didn’t I?”

“Damn right you did,” He boasts, walking backwards down the hall. “Good night, baby.” 

“Night,” YN bites her bottom lip to tame her smile and leans her head on the door frame. Before she can get her hand on the door, another giggle comes tumbling past her lips when he quickly makes his way over to her again to give her a loving kiss. He brings her left hand to his mouth to plant a kiss to the ring her gave her before forcing himself down the hall to the guest room.

...

Harry had his explanation ready. It was all planned out a rehearsed to a T, but now as he stands before YN’s awaiting eyes in his mum’s kitchen the next day, he loses all the words he knows.

Yesterday was packed with activities and fun and laughter that it was hard not to pull her away from all that and explain himself. He couldn’t be the cause of her loosing her bright smile as they play another guessing game with his family. He couldn’t be the one to interrupt her laughter while they assembled gingerbread houses.

And the one time he actually had the chance to pull her off to the side, his little nephew pointed out that they were under the misletoe. All of his worrying thoughts came to a stop when she looked up at him with a shrug of her shoulders as his family all had their eyes excitingly locked on them. How could he even think to hesitate when she was so willing and pliable in his hands as he cups her face and presses his lips to hers—their first kiss since they’ve split up a couple of months ago. It was a short and sweet kiss for the sake of his family standing before them but how he wished they were the only ones in the room.

And there certainly was no way he was going to wake her after she falls asleep with her head on his shoulder as the older cousins sit around the living room to watch Christmas movies. When everyone begins to file out of the living room wishin him good night, all he can really do is carefully manuver her so she’s between him and the back of the couch and drap a blanket over the two of them. His heart and the warm feeling inside his chest only grows when she blindly reaches out for him, pulling him close and tucking her head in the crook of his neck.

Now in the cold light of day, Harry has to face the music and explain why his mum thinks the two are still together after already being months apart.

“It’s...look I,” Harry takes in a deep breath. It was already hard enough to proper gather his thoughts at the sight of her alone so it was extremely difficult now under the circumstances. “I didn’t mean to lead her onto to anything, I promise. She was so happy when we were actually together and, and when we broke up, telling her wasn’t necessarily the first thing on my mind. I meant to tell her soon enough and it completely didn’t come to mind that she still thought that way when she invited you over for Christmas. I appreciate you playing along and I’m forever in you debt because of that but, I will tell her. I will tell her today and as much as it will hurt her, I can’t imagine how hard all this is hurting you.”

Harry lets out a deep sigh. He had everything planned and it all came to bite him back in the worst way.

"Hurting me?" YN questions and he's taken back when she gently takes a hold of his chin so his gaze meets hers. "You've been doing the complete opposite. Yeah, this is all a little weird given the situation and I might have been caught off guard but...I miss you. I've missed you for...I honestly don't think I ever stopped missing you. I've been meaning to tell you that I'm ready to be with you, officially, but there never seemed like a good time. And I completely understand if you're not ready to be with me yet or don't want to be with me at all-"

YN is silenced by Harry stepping forwards, cupping her cheeks and pressing his lips to hers.

When he pulls back, he's met with her beautiful eyes that are glazed over in confusion.

"Don't want to be with you at all?" Harry asks in disbelief. "Of course I want to be with you. There's never a day that goes by without me wanting to be with you, YN. I'm ready, I've been ready. No more bullshit or back-and-forth or confusion. I want you, plain and simple."

"I want you, too," YN beams before pulling him back into her.

The two have gone back and forth between being together and not being together over the past two years but this time it feels different, it feels right.

"Well, good morning to you too."

Anne's voice instantly has them pulling apart and taking a step away from each other, like a couple of teenagers caught in an obscene act. Harry's mum smiles warmly at the couple as she goes towards the stove, "Tea, anyone?"

Harry and YN tuck their lips in and one glance at one another has them beaming in embarrassment.

...

"Baby, you have to stop pacing." Penny softly comments from her spot on the dining table as watches her daughter walk back and forth. YN hasn't stopped twisting at the ring on her finger. She's not doing it in contemplation or regretting her decision for this day, it's just a nervous habit she's done ever since she can remember.

"Knock, knock. I’ve got a special delivery from—” Louis peaks his head in from the curtained sliding glass doors and stops in his tracks at the sight of his childhood best friend—his little sister—in front of him.

YN stands before him in her mermaid-style wedding dress. The sleeves are off the shoulder and the length of her dress stops right at the bottom of her feet. Her veils trails behind her and cascades down her back and onto the ground. Her make-up is done naturally and her hair is down and clipped out of her face. 

Tears threaten to escape his eyes but he sniffles them back as best he can, “Wow, YN. Yeh look...amazing.” 

“I don’t really feel amazing,” YN continues her pacing, holding her hands in front of her stomach as she continues to twist her ring and push down on her fingers with her thumbs. “I dunno why I can’t stop my mind from racing. I’m happy, so fookin' happy right now, but I just can’t stay still and, and I feel all nervous and what if I trip and fall while I’m walking down the isle. This all feels so—”

“Hey, hey. Take a breath alright,” Louis quickly steps over to her and places gentle hands on her bare shoulders. He non-verbally instructs her to take in deep breaths with him: in through his nose and out through his mouth. “S’normal for to feel like this, love. You’re happy and you love him and that’s all that matters. But if you don’t want to go through with this either, I’ll start the car up and we can go down and grab a burger, alright? No one can say anything about it.”

After a couple of breathes, YN opens her eyes and flicker them back and forth between his.

“I, I want to see him. Like, if he can just tell me that it’s all alright, that this is all fine or to just hug him or something...”

“Well, I may not be able to give yeh that, but he did tell me to give you this,” Louis grabs a piece of paper from his inner suit jacket, YN carefully unfolds the paper and nearly cries at the sight of her fiancé’s hand writing.

Everything will be alright, my love. I can practically hear you pacing from the outside the house and please stop twisting at your ring or craking your fingers. Your hands will be in mine soon enough. I’ll be waiting at the altar. I love you so much it hurts. Harry x. 

YN huffs out a laugh through her nose at how well he knows her. Harry wasn’t even told what she was doing, surely in hopes to not make him nervous but he knows her like the back of his hand. YN doesn’t even realize how her breathing as calmed down or how less jittery she feels from her anxiety earlier. She doesn’t even realize how big of a smile she has on her face until Louis takes her chin in between his fingers.

“She’s acting like he hung up the moon and stars by the way she’s smiling like that,” Louis jests and YN doesn’t even try her hand at a witty comeback.

“Thank you, Louis. I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for everything you’ve done for me,” She says sincerely. “From when I was a little girl till now, you’ve taken care of me and looked out for me like a big brother should. You mean the world to me and I love you very much.”

With a tight lipped smile, he pulls YN into his arms before she can see his eyes begin to tear up. 

“There’s no need to thank meh. I’d gladly do it all over again if I had to.”

The three of them turn their attention to a knock on the sliding glass doors before Gemma steps in with an excited smile, "It’s time.”

...

YN can hear the infamous wedding music begin to play outside and she takes in a shaky breath. Penny puts a loving hand overher daughter's that are tightly gripping onto her bouquet and it instantly calms YN’s nerves. 

“Ready, my baby?” She gives her daughter the warmest smile, the smile that’s engraved into YN’s memory ever since she was a little girl. Penny was the only woman her no-good of a father brought home that actually acknowledged baby YN. Penny gave up her free, hippie lifestyle for one of a mother’s and it was a decision, a promise, she continues to fulfill every passing day since. She has been the parent, the provider, and the support that YN needed and YN is forever grateful for the woman standing beside her.

Penny has been more than two parents combined and so after giving her mum a nod, the glass doors slide open and the two woman begin their walk down the isle.

As YN takes her steps down to the altar, she spots the familiar faces around the small number of seats.

She passes by Mitch and Sarah as she’s slightly bouncing their baby boy in her arms.

She passes by the Tomlinson girls—the family she grew up with and calls her own.

She passes some of Harry’s close family members and holds back a giggle when Uncle David gives her two thumbs up.

She passes by the empty seats that were reserved for her two other bandmates who “couldn't make the trip” (an obvious outcome that the couple forshadowed yet still sent out the invitations nonetheless) but she smiles warmly when she sees her favorite blond lad. Niall smiles brightly at her before looking down at his shoes in hopes for her not to see the way he starts to tear up. 

She passes Anne and Gemma in the front row, both with loving looks lighting up their faces. Harry’s mum mouths that she looks so beautiful and puts a shaky hand over her heart. 

She passes Louis as he watches her with his lips tucked to the side to help stop himself from blubbering like a baby. He has been so calm, cool and collected during all of this but actually seeing his baby sister walk down the isle in her white dress is hitting him like a ton of bricks.

And lastly, she sees Harry standing before her at the end of the altar dressed in a simple yet classic tux, red-nosed and teary-eyed at the sight of his bride. When he meets her gaze, he quickly knuckles away the tears before giving her her favorite dimpled smile. He takes in a deep breath, unable to hold back the sob that racks through his chest.

With glossy eyes, Penny plants a gentle kiss to her daughter’s cheek before reaching out to place YN’s hand in Harry’s. He gives the older woman a kiss on her cheek, as well as a reassuring nod of his head as a nonverbal way of saying that he has her. After stepping up to face one another, Penny takes her place on the other side of the front row and as the ceremony begins, she seats herself next to the empty chair reserved for Jay.

...

“YN,” The officiant turns his attention over to the bride. “You may now read your vows.”

After Gemma hands YN the small piece of paper, she looks up to see her groom give her an encouraging smile.

“Harry," YN takes a shaky breath in and her vision already gets blurry. "Shit. Oh! Fook, I'm sorry. Shit! Ahh wait!" She puts a hand over her mouth as the audience laughs at her antics. Harry’s shoulders shake up by his ears and the outer corners of his eyes crinkle as he laughs.

"I love you," he leans over to plant a kiss on her cheek.

He lets out another laugh when she gives him an uneasy look of disbelief.

"Harry,” She starts again. “I don’t think there are words good enough to describe how much how I love you. You’ve shown me so many things, taught me so much about not only in life, but of myself. Before you, I wasn’t a very touchy-feely person. Now, I cannot go a day without one of your hugs. Before you, I couldn’t stand to listen to stupid love songs. Now, I’m constantly writing them about you. Before you, my world was seen in sepia. Now I see colors I never knew existed. You’re truly me best friend, the love of me life, and my soulmate. You understand me more than anyone else, more than myself sometimes. I can’t believe the day has come when we finish with the constantly changing labels of our relationship and finally settle it with husband and wife. I’ll never get tired of saying how much I love you and I can’t wait to start my forever with you.”

As soon as she finishes reading off of her tiny piece of paper, Harry steps forwards, cups her cheeks and plants a kiss to her lips. A couple of the men in the audience wolf and whistle loudly while the women playfully jab at them to quiet down. YN can’t help but giggle against her love’s lips, gripping onto the hands on her cheek before having to pull away.

“Harry, you may read your vows now.”

After calming his boyish smile, he takes his own piece of paper out of the inner pocket of his blazer and with a deep breath in, he begins to read his scribbled words.

“YN, it feels like I’ve been waiting my entire life to marry you. I knew I wanted you in my life when I first saw you at a Battle of the Bands competition when we were merely fifteen years old but I knew I wanted us to be more when we were put in a band a year later. We’ve gone through so many ups and downs over the past 12 years, and while it may have been frustrating at times, you were and always will be worth the wait. You’re my best friend and I truly cannot express how excited and happy I am to start this new chapter in our lives together as not just bandmates, secret lovers, blurry lines or merely as my best friend, but as husband and wife. I have loved you since 2010, now and forevermore.”

...

“Do you, YN YLN, take Harry Styles to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” YN beams as she slides the wedding band onto Harry’s finger.

“Do you, Harry Styles, take YN YLN to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Harry breathes out a smile, sliding the wedding band onto his love’s finger to finish off the last piece of their ceremony.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Harry, you may now kiss your bride.”

Harry doesn’t waste another second before he cups her jaw and smushes his lips to hers. He wraps his other arm around her back and YN grips onto the front flaps of his tux, pulling him in incredibly close. He leans her back and he can feel her smile against his lips.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Styles!”

...

“I dunno, H,” YN says, fidgeting with the rings on her fingers. Now that the two can confidently state that they’re officially together now, she’s scared that their relationship will be seen in the public eye. She knows that when they first started their on-and-off relationship two years ago, they kept it very low-key around their friends, in the studio and only later started to show PDA, but only to their close friends. They’ve managed to dodge past the questions and comments about them being an item for years but this was different. They’re officially a couple now.

The idea of going to a new year’s eve party and the fear of someone taking a picture of them while really doing anything can start a massive misunderstanding in their fandoms. The fans just knew.

“Jonny says that the people he invited were cool, only a handful of close friends,” It’s nice to know that Harry was also on board with keeping their relationship in the shadows. They’re very private people and keeping their personal lives out of the lights is something that they would like to keep. Harry grabs her fidgeting hands and holds them to his chest. “I think we deserve to enjoy more of our holiday before it’s over, don’t y’think?”

His words begin to process in her head as he clutches their hands together. His head bends down to kiss her knuckles, his thumb rubbing over the butterfly ring he gave her a couple of Christmases ago, and it almost made her knees give out. His head bobs a little as he moves to kiss each one. He lifts his eyes slightly to meet hers and she sighs deeply knowing he won.

“As long as I can kiss you whenever I want during the party then maybe it won’t be so bad,” She says, trying to fight the smile that creeps on her face. She’s still very paranoid about the party, but seeing Harry’s face light up at the sound of her agreeing was all it took for her to relax. 

Harry cups her face in his large hands and pressed his lips to hers. She instantly reacts by putting her hands on his waist and turning her head to the side to deepen the kiss. 

This feels right, it feels safe. Now that she’s told him what’s on her mind about their relationship, it’s as if everything seems too good to be true. She feels as if their new relationship is now stronger than whatever they had in the past with them both clear about their intentions, mentally in a better place, and their love for one another already well established.

Harry gently pushes her back until her back is touching the counter. As she feels his tongue slip past her lips, she grips the material of his hoodie around his waist in a silent plea for more.

“Let the girl breathe, will yeh,” Gemma's voice breaks their kiss. 

YN feels the blood rush up to her face and she covers her face in Harry's chest. She feels his arms wrap around her shoulders and his chest vibrates as he laughs. YN hopes it's directed toward his sister rather than her red face.

“Oi, you’re just pissed that your boyfriend doesn’t show you the same affection anymore,” Harry says to his older sister.

“Bogger off,” Gemma says with a laugh. “When you’re finished with your little snog fest can you please send her over to the living room. I’m currently losing charades to a seven year old and she’s my lucky charm.” 

“I’ll be there,” YN’s voice comes out muffled from being pressed against Harry's chest. Gemma gives Harry a nod and once he gives her one back in reassurance, she spins on her heel and exits the kitchen. "Why does this always happen?" YN asks with a shake of her head, confused about how they continue to get interrupted by their family members and it only makes a laugh tumble past Harry's lips.

...

The married couple sits side-by-side at the end of the long table set up in the backyard. Their mums sit on either side of their children while the rest of the family and friends sit down the line. Fairy lights blanket over the yard and it provides the most beautiful light over the small party celebration.

As the table is filled with the sound of chatter as everyone finishes up the pre-made home cooked meal, Harry has his arm draped over the back of YN’s chair where he’ll constantly lean over to her to whisper something in her ear or where she’ll ask to see his left hand again and hold it against hers to see their matching rings.

Louis gives Gemma a nod across from his spot on the table before standing up from his seat, clearing his throat as he taps a knife against his glass of champagne. The chatter begins to die down and soon enough everyone joins in on tapping their glass.

"This should be interesting," Harry whispers to his bride's ear and smiles when she lets out a giggle.

"Ello everyone. For the people who don't know, m'Louis—" Everyone chuckles since the only people invited were family members and close friends. Penny gives a smack to his arm before he continues. "As the best man, I'd like to give a little toast dedicated to the bride and groom. I've known Harry for over a decade and YN since she was practically in diapers. YN, you're like me little sister than anything. As annoying and frustrating as you can be sometimes—" The table laughs and YN has to resist from flipping off her childhood best friend. "—I love you so very much. Harry, I've witnessed more than anyone here how stupidly in love you are with YN. The amount of times I’ve watched these two idiots deny and hide their love from one another during our time in One Direction was truly excruciating to watch. Niall here can back me up on that. It’s that true, Nialler?” Louis lifts his glass towards their blonde friend who quickly nods his head and making the rest of the guests laugh.

“It was painful,” Niall agrees, leaning over to look at the marriage couple. “It even hurt me sometimes, you know?”

YN playfully rolls her eyes with a smile sitting on her lips while her husband pinches at his lips to keep his embarrassed smile at bay.

“But in all seriousness, seeing first hand how these two and fought and clawed their way through all the shit—” Penny smacks his arm once again at his vulgar language. “Sorry, sorry. Through all the obstacles that have thrown their way, their love prevailed through it all. Harry, I know you'll take good care of my sister...even if she stubbornly claims she doesn't need taking care of.”

The couple’s friends and family all make noises in agreement which makes YN playfully scoff at how fast and willing they all agreed. 

“I wish you lot the best and a very happy life together. To the bride and groom."

As everyone lifts their glass in the air, YN can’t help but give Louis a weary smile before blowing him a kiss and mouths that she loves him too.

"Alright, as the maid of honor, I also want to give a toast," Gemma is next to stand. "YN, I've always seen you as a sister and I'm so happy that it's officially offical. I feel that I shouldn’t really welcome you into the family because you’ve always been apart of the Styles family for as long as we’ve known you. Harry, my baby brother," Gemma tilts her head to the side, putting a hand over chest with her lips tucked inwards in hopes to tame her tears. "I'm so proud of all you've accomplished but I'm most happy that you've found your soulmate. You guys were truly made for one another and I could not imagine a more perfect couple."

Harry leans his head towards YN’s and the rest their temples against one another, closing their eyes for a second to live in the incredible bliss they both feel.

With a quick wipe to her watery cheeks, Gemma smiles and lifts up her glass, "You guys are going to continue to have a wonderful life together and yes, I’m calling dibs to be your baby’s godmother whenever the time comes.”

“Oi! Yeh can’t do that,” Louis defends. “That’s for them to pick. And it was gonna be me anyways.”

“I think it’s only fair we get to be the godparents since they’re the godparents of our little one,” Sarah pipes up from the side of the table.

“And what am I?” Niall raises his hands. “A roach?”

As the table begin to get rowdy, Harry waves his hands up while YN just holds her stomach as it begins to hurt from laughing so hard.

“Hey, woah!” He sliences the group. “We just got married, people. We’re not even pregnant. We’re not pregnant, right?” Harry asks his love and it only makes her laugh harder.

“No, no we’re not,” YN pressed the sides of her index fingers under her eyes from the giggly tears that managed to escape. “Oh my word, that was awesome. Gemma, please continue on with your toast before I bust at the seam.”

“As I was saying, we are all so happy for the two of you. You two will have a very happy together. To YN and Harry."

"To YN and Harry!"

"And without further ado, I'd like to invite you two to the dance floor to present your first dance as husband and wife."

And with that, Harry takes his wife’s hand in his as he leads her to the small designated dance area behind their table.

With a click on Gemma’s phone, A Sunday Kind Of Love by Etta James begins to play out of the speakers somewhere behind them and everyone begins to gather around the small area. Their guests pull out their phones to capture the special moment but Harry pays no mind to them as he gently tugs her into him.

YN pulls him incredibly close to her, wrapping her arms tightly around the tops of his shoulders. Harry fully pulls her into him so that there is no space left between them. He digs his face into the crook of her neck and his blunt fingers press into the skin on her shoulders as they gently sway.

All else seems to fade away and it’s just the two of them together as they dance. It all seems so unreal, swaying with Harry—her husband—on their wedding day. Harry’s words the night before were unbelievably true in that he’s been waiting forever to marry this woman. 

Like he needs to make sure he isn’t dreaming, he pulls his face from her neck and sure enough, his breath is knocked out of his chest at the sight of her looking up at him like that, with her bright eyes and golden smile. He can’t help himself from leaning down to capture her lips with his, although a little difficult after a while as they can’t keep their smiles at bay any longer. 

After all the rollercoaster they’ve been on for the past twelve years, it seemed like this day would never come to be. Yet, as Harry mentioned in his vows, she was well worth the wait as he holds YN—his wife—in his arms. 

Thankfully he will never have to let her go as he gets to have her forevermore.

taglist:

@wobblymug @be-with-me-so-happily @ashtongivesmebutterflies @kiwiskiwiskiwi @darlingdesire @obsesseddd @hopefulwastelandcreation @cacapeepee @breezie-b00 @harrysfolklore @theekyliepage @sunshinemoonsposts @nervousspiderling @tbslonelyhes @tenaciousperfectionunknown @harrystylesrecs @certified-nalayak @itsjustsel @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @gviosca @behindmygreyeyes @twobluejeans @allisonxmcu @theemeraldbutterfly @jean-love @marvellover-sam @b-reads-things @reveriehs @rach2602 @thurhomish @perrypughstyles @luvonstyles @mxltifxnd0m @teamspideyman @c00chiemonster @juiceboxrry @s8tellite @folklorehrry @illicithallways @claramllera @eunoiaax @hoya122 @nichmedder @sleutherclaw @gloriousmoneyrascalbiscuit @harianaswhore @teawithcyb0rgs @vrittivsanghavi @vc55bughead @futuristiccroissantlampsludge @onecrazydirectioner @valluvsu @itsgabbysblog @awkwardbisexuall @rosehel @sucker4angstt @isalove @diorchives @mrshiddlestyles02 @fdl305

[kleem-o]

I know for a fact that Kid!Tenko would constantly try to break our relationship with Toshi,what are some things he would try to do,but most importantly,how would he react when he ultimately fails to break us up and we end up getting engaged? Maybe us even getting after him about his attitude and actions against Toshinori?

omg yesss the family drama would be INSANEE and im here for it, anw here's some headcanon thingies!!

Platonic yandere son!Tenko x Mommy!reader x Boyfriend!Toshi

In the au I did, Tenko met Toshi when he was in highschool, but for this headcanon imagine he meets him as a kid, boy is FERAL

Kid!Tenko is absolutely insane from the moment he meets him, actually charging at Toshi and attacking him

Of course you do everything you can to stop him, holding him like a little chihuahua and apologizing endlessly to Toshi

"I'm so sorry Toshi! Tenko is actually a really good boy, I don't know what's gotten into him.." All the while Kid!Tenko is struggling to get out of your hold and disintegrate Toshi

Toshi laughs and rubs Kid!Tenko's head, only to make him scream and struggle more in your hold, like the little gremlin he is. "It's okay sweetheart, young Tenko might just be nervous!! We'll meet again next time little one :D"

You HAD to carry Kid!Tenko all the way home because he wouldn't let go of you and he wouldn't stop crying

"Are you gonna leave me mommy? Why are you with that guy?? He stinks.. Do you hate me mom?? Do you like him more than me??" and your heart is gonna BURST. You keep comforting him telling him you will never leave him.

You decide that maybe exposing him slowly to Toshi would work, boy were you wrong..

Literally every time he sees Toshi all he sees is red and he immediately starts throwing tantrums that you never see him do at home.

You would start questioning your relationship with Toshi (like how Kid!Tenko planned) but Toshi would comfort you, being the best boyfriend there is you just can't give this up, you also think he would make an amazing father for Kid!Tenko

Whenever Toshi is over at your house, Kid!Tenko would place little lego pieces on the floor for Toshi to step on.

You would scold him for all the little evil things he does, but Toshi would always dismiss it as just some pranks of a kid

BUT its a different story once he enters high school, boy he did not changeee, he even became more unhinged

He became somewhat aggressive, to his classmates that talk smack about you, random men and women looking at you in the street and Toshi.

Boy has a grudge 😭

You thought their relationship will get better as Tenko grows up but it got worse

You finally had enough when you caught his hand as he was going to slap Toshi with five of his fingers

"TENKO I HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!!! All Toshi did was be a good father figure to you and this is what you do??!!" "But-" "NO BUTS!! Go to your room!!"

Once he was in his room he heard you crying which broke his heart, he never wanted to hurt his mommy. Its all that son of a bitch Toshi's fault. He was telling Tenko that you guys were engaged, and he would finally have you all for himself, lock you up in your new home without Tenko, which made Tenko want to kill him right there and then. He had to come up with a plan

You really were clueless. Little did you know Toshi was a yandere for you as well.

[maverickbabes]

Leave her alone!

Leave her alone! Pt.2: Recovery

Maverick x female!reader

Warnings: fighting with mentions of blood, cussing, anxiety, sexual assault, bruises on the body, protective Maverick.

Summary: You and Maverick were at the Hard Deck enjoying a date night. You get up to go outside and get some fresh air and that's when the night turns for the worse.

To the boys who sexually assaulted me, I hope karma gives you what you deserve and you rot in hell.

A/N: This story does contain TW: Sexual Assault. This is a warning if you don't like this. This is how I'm coping with my assault and it's the first time I'm writing something like this. Now this is not based on my assault, I want to keep the details to myself.

** Please don't interact with this story If you are sensitive to this. **

You playfully smack your fiance's arm as he shakes your head at the silly joke you told him. "Y/n. The love of my life. My beautiful queen. That is a bad joke" He says chuckling before taking a sip of his beer as you gasp dramatically. "Mr. Captain Pete Mitchell that was an amazing joke not a bad one" You said placing your hand over your chest and pretending to be hurt.

"Oh don't be so dramatic" He said pulling you onto his lap as he placed his hand on the side of your neck and gently gave you a kiss while you smiled into it before kissing him back. After your guys small make out session, you slowly pull away before getting up and straightening your dress. "I'll be right back babe, I'm going outside to get some fresh air. It's kinda stuffy in here" You tell him before kissing his cheek.

"Be safe baby girl and I'll order us some more beers" He says before getting Penny's attention by poking her arm causing her to give him a look as she swats his hand with the towel. Their friendship made you smile because Penny was like a second mom to you in a way but also an aunt. You make your way through the crowd and towards the double doors as you get greeted with the fresh warm breeze.

You take a deep breath of the warm air while you let a small smile form on your lips. Letting out a content sigh you glanced down at your ring finger which wore your engagement ring. Pete proposed to you at Top Gun in front of the Dagger Squad who helped him plan the whole thing. He was so nervous that day it was so cute you recalled, letting out a chuckle. You walked down the small steps and onto the sand where you start walking around aimlessly as you looked at the sunset.

Big mistake

Assault starts here.

"Hey gorgeous what are you doing out here by yourself" A voice behind you called out causing you to turn around to see a man standing there. "Oh I'm just enjoying the fresh air before I go back in" You simply tell him as he walks closer to you. "I think I know something else that you can enjoy sweetheart.." He says as he stands right in front of you.

"I'm sorry but I have a fiance" You said, raising your hand to show him the ring that sat on your left hand which made him slowly smile. "Well I think I could make you feel so fucking good and better than this fiance ever could" He states placing his hand on your arm and purposely moves the strap of your dress down. "I said I have a fiance" You told him before shoving his hand off your arm and turning around to walk away.

Suddenly, You feel a pair of arms wrap around you from behind tightly as you get thrown down onto the sand. You let out a scream but was quickly shut up from a hard slap to your face. As you tried to get up, you felt someone shove you back down before climbing on top of you. "Going somewhere sweetheart?" The same guy taunts as he runs his hands up your inner thigh and under your dress.

"No please stop!" You screamed as you tried to get out from under him but he slaps you again before you hear the sound of a belt unbuckling. "God your so feisty" The guy says as he rips off your underwear, aggressively grabbing your thighs which left dark bruises in your wake.

You try to scratch him and punch him but all he does is chuckle as he takes your sundress off, leaving you just in your bra. Tears streamed down your face as you let out a scream. "HELP! SOM-" You let out but felt a hand grab your throat as the guy leaned down close to your face. "Try screaming all you want baby girl, no one is going to hear your pitiful screams" He chuckles darkly as he releases his hand from your throat, grabbing your wrist and pinning them above you.

Holding your wrists in one hand, he takes his other hand and starts to take off his underwear as kneed him in the crotch. "You bitch!" He says as you struggled in his grasp and tried to get out of it but the more you kept moving, the more he grabbed on more.

"HEY GET OFF OF HER!" A voice shouted before you feel the guy get pulled off of you. "YOU SON OF A BITCH" The voice said before punching the guy square in the face. "Dude get the fuck off me!" The guy said before throwing a punch at the figure that saved you. You move away from the two guys fighting as you reach for your dress.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT" Your savior shouts as he throws another punch but to the guy. You watch the Hard Deck's doors open and out comes the dagger squad. Hangman and Rooster run towards the two men and pull the one towering over your attacker off.

Since when were they here?

"Y/N!" Someone shouts and you turn your head to see Phoenix followed by Bob and Payback. As soon as Phoenix reaches you, she falls onto her knees and pulls off her jacket before putting it over your shoulders. You fell in her arms and let out a gasp before sobbing in her arms. "Shh you're okay. You're safe now. We got you" Phoenix reassures you as she rubs your back while your shoulders shake from your sobs.

"Mav stop! That's enough Hangman's got him" You hear Rooster shout as Bob and Payback knelt down around you to shield you. "You done fucked up pal" Hangman says as he grabs the guy by his collar and dragged him to the front of the Hard Deck, where he called shouted for Penny to call the cops.

You felt Bob and Payback shift away from you a little as you feel a pair of arms start to lift you off Phoenix's lap. "NO STOP! GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME" You screamed hitting the person trying to pick you up. "Baby it's me. I'm not going to hurt you" Maverick says which immediately calms you down as you sob into his chest. He lifts you off Phoenix's lap and starts to walk forward while Rooster picks up the ripped article of clothing from the sand.

"Payba-" Pete starts to say but stops once he sees Payback taking off his shirt and Bob following Phoenix back inside the Hard Deck to get their belongings. "Here you go Mav" Payback says setting his shirt over you to cover you. "Thank you. Go with the others" Pete says and Payback immediately nods before going inside.

Rooster catches up to Maverick and motions for Maverick to follow him to his Jeep. "Let's put her in the back and get her home" Rooster says opening the back and helping his father figure lay you down in the back. Bradley gets in the driver seat with Pete in the passenger and was about to start the jeep when a cop car followed by an ambulance pulled into the parking lot.

"She's not going to want to go to the hospital Mav" He says as Maverick starts to walk to the paramedics. You quietly sob in the back seat as you curled into the fetal position holding the articles of clothing wrapped around you as close as possible, trying to hide your body. "I shouldn't have gone outside Bradley" You say quietly as you wiped the tears falling down your cheeks. He turns around and looks at you.

"It's nowhere near your fault y/n. You went to get some fresh air and that jackass decided to take advantage of you." He says before reaching over and placing his hand on your head. Maverick comes back to the jeep and hops in. "They're going to follow us to the house and take it from there" He says as you glance up and see his jaw clenched as he had dried blood on his cheek and hands.

Rooster quickly drives you guys home followed by the ambulance and you look up to the night sky as the stars faintly shine. Once home, Pete lifts you up and carries you to the house where he sets you down on the couch as the paramedics come in following behind Rooster.

A female paramedic kneels down in front of you as she sets her stuff down. "Hi y/n, my name is Cassidy and I am going to be checking a few things is that okay?" She asks as she puts on a pair of gloves and all you do is nod your head and let out a faint 'yes'. Cassidy looks up at Maverick and Rooster before opening her bag.

"If you guys could please step out of the room and give me and y/n some privacy?" She asks them and both men agree as they left the living room and went to the kitchen. "Okay y/n I need you to take off the jacket so I can look at you" She says softly as she put her hand on your knee.

After she did a full exam on your body and put on some cream on the bruises and cleaning up your busted lip, She stands up and goes to the kitchen to talk to the guys. You wrapped the jacket around your body again as you faintly heard them talking before Cassidy walked out to get her bag. "Have a good night everyone" She says before shutting the front door behind her as they came back in the living room.

"Y/N lets get you ready for bed" Rooster says as he sets the body of cream Cassidy gave him and lends you his hand but you completely ignore him and head upstairs to the shower. You didn't even bother getting any pjs, all you wanted to do was scrub your body raw until you got all the filth off you. Turning on the shower, you slowly shrugged off Phoenix's jacket and let it fall to the floor as you looked in the mirror and saw your body.

You had bruises on your hips, thighs and your wrists while your neck had a faint hand print around it. Numbly, you walk in the shower and let the water cascade down your body as you silently let the tears mix with the hot water. Once you're done showering, you get out and see a pair of sweats and one of Pete's shirts with a fresh towel sitting on top of the sink counter.

After you get dressed, you walk into your guy's bedroom to see him already in bed. He watches you climb into bed and he immediately opens his arms as you put your head on his bare chest and felt tears run down your nose and onto his chest as he hold you close to him.

"I've got you sweetheart, No one is going to hurt you anymore. You're safe with me. I love you so much and I'm so sorry" He says as he kisses the top of your head and just holds you while you wrap your arm around his waist. "I l-love you too" You croaked out before closing your eyes.

It'll be okay. You're safe in his arms and the dagger squad has your back.

Everything will be okay, right?

To the boy, you didn't break me. You just made me stronger

A/N: I apologize for this being so long, but I hope you like it. I wanna make a second part talking about the recovery process :)

[alexfromjersey]

CHAPTER I: pogue lif3

warnings: smut (18+) and mature language

a/n: 2.0K words

"We're the Pogues, and our mission this summer is to have a good time, all the time" - John B.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Seven Peterkin stared up at the sunset sky with her hands interlocked behind her head. Her sneakered covered feet were dangling from the scaffolding she was laying down on. The brown-skinned girl was sitting next to JJ or Thing One as she liked to call him. The clouds caught her attention and the longer she stared at them, the more they began to take shape into random things.

Oh, that looks like a bunny.

"That's what, a three-story fall to the deck? I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival"

Seven turned her head to the left to see John B trying to balance on the edge of the roof he was on.

"Triple dog dare you to jump for shits and giggles" the teenager challenged and turned her head to the boy.

"Hmm" John B sucked his pointer finger and lifted it to the wind playfully, "should I do it?"

"Yeah, you should jump" Pope dared the adventurous boy while pointing a nail gun at him. "I'll shoot you on the way down."

Seven shook her head at her friends with a smile on her face. The girl then sat up and climbed down the scaffolding. The curly afro haired girl leaned against one of the work benches. She then pulled out her cracked phone. A smirk appeared on her face when she saw a text message from a hook up of hers, Janet.

They met a street race last week when Seven dusted any and everyone that stepped to her. Janet approached her and the two engaged in a light hearted conversation before it started getting sexual. Long story short, they hooked up in the back of her Kia Soul and have been hooking up every other day after that.

"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers" Kiara ranted while walking out of the unfinished home. Seven was too in-grossed in her phone to notice her female best friend glance at her.

"Of course. Why wouldn't they?" JJ chimed in and took another sip of his beer.

"This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles. I guess?" Kiara mocked. She took her eyes off Seven's distracted figure and they landed on John B, "Can you please not kill yourself?"

"Do it! I want the Chateau" Seven joked. Kiara playfully glared at the girl.

"Don't spill that beer, I'm not giving you another one" JJ warned the adventurous boy. Seven then locked her phone and slid it back into her black Nike shorts pocket. The teenager watched as John B continues to balance on the edge of the roof on one foot. But the wind picked up slightly which made him stumble and drop his beer.

"Oh, shit" John B cursed as the beer smacked on the deck spilling the liquid everywhere. Seven snorted at the idiot teenager.

"Of course, you did like right when I told you not to"

"A-plus"

"Dumbass"

Pope looked on the side of the house when he heard a car door slam shut, "hey, uh, security's here. Let's wrap it up" He urged the group.

"Boys are early today," John B said and climbed down the scaffolding.

"Humpty dumpty, let's roll" JJ shouted.

Deciding that she wanted to taunt the security guards, she leaned over the railing.

"Mi hombre Gary, ¿cómo estás?" Seven taunted the frustrated security guard.

"SEVEN! STOP TESTING ME" Gary yelled. Seven snickered before Pope pulled her away from the railing before she could taunt Gary more.

"Come on, you rebel," Pope said.

The five best friends all flooded into the unfinished house running and laughing. Excitement was oozing out of Seven and she cheered with the rest of them following. JJ took them down to the ground level where they all separated . JJ banked to the left with Seven following and he was about to run right into Gary's hand but Seven pushed him out of the way and she spun around the heated security guard.

"Classic spin move, my guy" Seven laughed and continued running from the security guards. She caught up to JJ and Pope. JJ made it over the fence while Pope fell flat onto his face.

"Come on Pope! Gary, the Grinch is coming!" Seven said as she jumped over the fence and helped Pope to his feet.

"Hey! Come here, you little pricks!" They heard as they ran as fast they could to John B's van that just pulled up. Pope and Seven hopped in the van and John B skidded off.

"Hey, check out Gary gunning for a raise" Pope laughed as he pointed to Gary chasing after John B's van. JJ grabbed a can of beer and leaned out of the van.

"Slow down John B" Seven smiled.

"Stop it guys you're gonna give him a heart attack" Kiara laughed.

"Come on Gary! You're so close! You can do it" JJ taunted the out-of-breath security guard. He then tossed the unopened beer can in the air. "There you go," JJ laughed. Gary ends up shielding his head from the beer can which slowed him down. "They don't pay you enough bro."

Kiara pulled JJ into the van trying her best not to laugh at her stupid friend. "JJ stop," She said.

"Oh come on, that sort of initiative is just begging to be punished" JJ chuckled.

The five teens continued laughing and making jokes amongst themselves. They all were having a good time together like usual. Seven loved being with her friends. It was the thing she missed most when she was away in juvie on the mainland. She was alone and didn't have anyone there. She loved getting into trouble with them, she loved the thrill of it. She couldn't exactly explain why she loved the excitement of trouble but she did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mmhm Sev" Janet's moans were silenced by Seven's skillful tongue entering her mouth. Janet started rocking her hips back and forth faster which makes Seven's hands grip them tighter. The soft sound of The Weekend's voice filled the car but it was being overpowered by the increasing moans spewing out of Janet's mouth.

Her pace sped up more as one hand gripped the back of Seven's neck and the other hand is pressed against the window. Seven felt her stomach tighten letting the curly-haired girl she was close to releasing. She also knew Janet was close by the way she tighten around her and her mouth dropped open.

"Oh my god...Seven!" Janet gasped and her movements stilled as her warm liquid coated Seven's length. Meanwhile, Seven let out a hiss as she released into the condom. The duo stayed in this position for a few moments to calm down before Janet climbed off her the brown skinned girl. Seven raised her eyebrow as she noticed Janet getting clothed at a fast pace.

"What's the rush energizer bunny? We still got like two hours til I have to take you back home. I was thinking we can grab some food from The Wreck and sit at-"

"Yeah, I can't. Not tonight Seven" Janet interrupted the girl.

"Okay...well maybe one of these days I can take you out. Like on an actual date" Seven proposed. This made Janet stop in her tracks and looked at Seven who had a hopeful expression on her face.

Janet sighed, "Sev..."

The hopeful expression disappeared on Seven's face when she noticed Janet's hesitation.

"Oh...I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make things awkward" Seven apologized.

"No, no...listen I'm not the type of person to be in a relationship. Every one that I've ever been in I always screw it up by either cheating or neglecting the relationship. I don't want to hurt you, you've been through. You're a nice person and I don't want to hurt you by breaking your heart," Janet explained.

"I've had my heart broken numerous times" Seven chuckled. "But...I can't help but respect you in telling me how you feel instead of stringing me along. I appreciate it."

Janet smiled, "of course. It's time I matured."

Seven chuckled at the girl before she fixed herself up while Janet drove to the Chateaü. Janet lived literally on the border between the Kook and Pogue sides of the island. She didn't claim either side which kinda drew Seven to the girl. She was just there, living life and being a teenager.

The pair quickly approached Seven's destination. She could see JJ, John B, Kiara, and Pope all sitting around a campfire engaged in conversations. The friends looked up at the approaching vehicle with curious eyes before Seven stepped out. The four watched Seven say something to Janet that made her burst out laughing before giving her the middle finger.

Seven laughed before walking to her friends. The boys had smirks on their faces but Kiara had a jealous smile on hers.

"So you ditch us to go touch genitals with Janet Mosses, that's cold blooded" John B joked.

"You haven't been here for a full month yet and you're already getting laid. Tell me your secret" JJ stated before getting close to Seven.

Seven pushed the blonde haired boy away, "Go to juvie. The girls love a jail story."

"By girls you mean desperate hoes that want attention" Kiara muttered.

"Attention that is solely focused on me. Excuse me if I take advantage of it...with consent. Consent is key. Consent is sexy" Seven emphasized. The boys nodded at her words.

"So it doesn't bother you when girls only want you because you went to juvie?" Kiara questioned.

Seven and the boys looked at each other highly confused to where the hostility Kiara has came from. She noticed the way they all looked at each other before she cleared her throat.

"I'm just trying to look out for you. I know how girls can get and how mean they can be. I just don't want to see you hurt...any of you" Kiara confessed.

Seven threw her arm around Kiara's shoulder and brought her close, "I appreciate it sweets."

Kiara rolled her eyes with a smile at the nickname and pushed Seven away. The curly afro girl looked at the boys with a knowing smirk.

"Attention poguies...we have a warrant for the dunking of Miss Kiara Carrera. In t-minus 30 seconds she will be meeting the local swap." Seven said in a sailor voice.

"NO! Absolutely not!" Kiara yelled and tried to run away from Seven and the boys. But Pope caught her before she can run, he went through all her pockets to take out any valuables.

They all took flying flaying body part and sped walk to the end of the dock. They counted down and swung Kiara into the water.

"SEV! I'm going to kill you!" Kiara screamed as soon as she came up from underwater.

Seven laughed, "I'm sorry it was too perfect to miss that opportunity."

"Can one of you at least help me up?" Kiara asked.

"Alright, alright I'll help you up" John B volunteered. He stuck his hand out for her to grab but she pulled him down the second she grabbed it.

The remaining pogues in the dock all burst out laughing at John B.

"How did you not see that coming?" JJ laughed.

"Yeah it's like you asked-" Pope was cut off by a hard push into the water. Seven was stood behind him waiting for the opportunity.

"Y'all are dumb" Seven laughed. She looked at JJ who looked at her.

"Backflip cannonball?" Seven asked.

"Dude, you didn't have to ask" JJ replied.

For the rest of the day, the five best friends were together. They ate dinner, courtesy of Kie again, and they watched movies until Pope, Sev, and Kiara had to leave for the night.

[petersbaby]

Hey guys. I had a little bit of an attempt several days ago so I’m still down and trying to get to feeling better, on new meds now. I know it isn’t that deep but I LOVE this account and all the people who are so nice to me here, so I feel really sad and guilty that I haven’t felt like being on this app lately. I’ll be back.

Right now I’m posting the story I have sitting in my notes :)

I’m not sure what to call this, it was inspired by this ask and i accidentally turned it into a cute lil Gareth love story. Let me know if you wanna be tagged for credits, I wasn’t sure <3

Warnings: TW SA

-

“I’ll see you later. Be out in the parking lot on time or I’m not taking you home with me.”

“W-why are you always trying to leave me at school?” You ask defensively as you shut the passenger side door after getting out.

“*i* don’t try to do anything. You’re just slow sometimes and I don’t have the patience.” He scoffs and you both go into the school, parting ways to your respective classes.

Once it was lunchtime, you headed to the cafeteria. You had some friends here and there, but no one you specifically say with. You just kind of went where there was room.

As you got in line for food, you heard a bunch of laughter and comments from behind you, and you knew that the presence you felt was a group of basketball guys. You tried to ignore them, but it became clear soon that they were talking about you.

“Jesus Christ, that skirt’s short. She knows what she’s doing.” One boy commented.

“Yeah, dude, like I could just-“

You feel a hand on your ass, taking a generous handful and groping.

You gasp, turning around immediately. It was Jason. He just had a stupid fucking grin on his face, his friends were laughing. Your face turned red with embarrassment and a little bit of fear.

You turn back around, pulling your skirt down lower, and finish getting your food. Immediately after you pay, your desperate eyes scan the whole room full of people. You search for the Hellfire Club table, and find it quickly knowing the general vicinity of where it’s at. Eddie didn’t ever want you sitting there, said it was just a guy thing.

It was new, and a little scary, but you had to go to someone who cared about you. Yes, your step brother is an asshole, but you know he loves you. He’s drunkenly admitted it many times, and you always said you loved him too.

You head straight for him, where he was in the middle of a conversation with Mike. They were so engaged that they didn’t notice you standing there holding your tray at first, Gareth had to tell Eddie to look up.

“What do you want?” He asks.

“I- Eddie, I need to tell you something.”

“Can’t it wait? We’re talking about important shit right now here.” He gestures to his friends.

Your eyes filled with tears, you felt them stinging as one fell and your lip started to quiver. You just stand there.

“Shit. Wheeler, get up. Let her sit.”

You plop down in the now free seat beside him.

“What happened? Someone bully you?”

You did get bullied. He knew that. He just figured some bitchy girl hurt your feelings or smacked the books out of your hands or something.

“Yeah.. well… maybe no. I don’t know. It was Jason, he- he grabbed me. In the line. He grabbed my butt and all of them laughed.”

A few more tears fell as you let your shoulders relax a little now. There was an expression on his face that you had never seen before. He was thinking, thinking hard about something, and he was angry, pissed. The other guys look panicked, waiting for how Eddie was gonna handle that information. They knew it wouldn’t be pretty.

“Eds?” You ask, quietly, concerned.

He slams his hand down on the table and stands up quickly. He locks his eyes onto where the group of boys had sat down and were eating and barreled straight towards them.

He goes and grabs Jason by the collar of his jacket, yanking him down into the floor. Everything seemed to go a little quieter when everyone heard the impact of his body on the hard laminate flooring. His friends get up, starting to try and help Jason up and get Eddie away, but he doesn’t allow it.

“Stay the FUCK back. You fuckin’ pussies.” He yells at them.

“What the hell is your problem, freak?” Jason asks, scrambling back up to his feet.

He doesn’t get an answer, only a hard blow to the face. He immediate grabs his nose, feeling blood start to spill out of it.

“You wanna touch girls? You wanna touch my little fucking sister?”

Another punch. One after another. Jason’s friends once again try to intervene, but Eddie fights them back. He ends up on top of Jason in the floor, beating the shit out of him and cursing him out until staff came in and forcibly removed him from the other boy.

You and all the other guys at the table with you watch with wide eyes and slack jaws. Holy shit.

You can’t hear what the staff members told him, you can just see them holding him by the arms and taking him out of the room. Jason’s friends are finally able to help him, one of them runs to get the nurse because he’s bleeding all over himself.

“Holy shit.” Mike comments, echoing exactly what you were thinking.

“I’m so sorry, y/n, that guy’s a real piece of shit. He got what he deserved.” Gareth tries his best to soothe you, taking your shaking hand in his from across the table and squeezing it.

“It’s okay. What, uh, what’s gonna happen? To Eddie?”

“They’ll just suspend him. Probably a couple of weeks.” He shrugs, as if that’s normal.

“Two weeks?? They’re gonna do something worse to me now, knowing he’s gone and no one will protect me. To get revenge.”

“Fuck that. I’ll protect you. It’s what Eddie would want.” Gareth responds.

“Wha- really?” You ask quietly, almost in disbelief and also blushing at his kindness. You never knew he was so sweet.

“Yes, really. I’ll walk you to your classes, and you’ll sit with us at lunch for the next couple weeks til Eddie’s back. Right, guys?”

Everyone nods.

“Thank you guys. I’m sorry, uh, about all this. I didn’t know he’d do that, now you don’t have your dungeon master.”

“Wait, you know about D&D?” Gareth seems shocked, and you laugh shyly.

“Of course I do. He is my brother, after all.”

“Don’t worry about that.” He pauses to think. You both start to say something at the same time, but you let him go first.

“We’ll just play somewhere else than school.”

“I was just about to say that.” You laugh. “You could do it at my-our.. Eddie’s house.” You stumble over the words.

-

When the bell rings at the end of the day, you go outside and step into the fresh air. Shit, you forgot Eddie got sent home. You start to panic, thinking of who could give you a ride home, but you hear the rumbling of that shitty van pulling into the parking lot. You look up, and he pulls up right in front of you, motioning you to get in.

“Eds, you’re not supposed to be here, are you? They said you’re probably suspended.”

“I am. But I just can’t go into the school. I had to come back for you, you really think I’d leave you here?”

“You kinda imply that, like, a lot.”

“Well I don’t fuckin mean it, okay?”

“Sorry.” Your eyes sting again. You just wanted to go home and never leave your bed again.

He takes a deep breath.

“No, y/n, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m really fucking mad, but not at you.”

“Oh. Okay.” You say, quietly.

At home, you go straight to the bathroom, mind fixed on washing Jason’s touch off of your body. You take a hot shower and scrub hard, crying softly so that you are not heard.

When you get out, on your way to your room, you hear Eddie talking to his uncle downstairs. You were worried he’d be in trouble, but Wayne didn’t sound mad. You catch the sound of him saying “I understand” before retreating to your room. You put on new clothes and just went to sleep. When you wake up, it’s dark out. You look at the clock. 11PM.

“Hey. I just wanted to check on you.” Eddie says softly, entering your room. He sits down at the foot of your bed.

“Hmm- I’m okay. Are you?”

“You’re sweet for caring but don’t ask me. I’m asking you. You didn’t deserve what happened to you today.”

“Well… I took a long shower, that made me feel a little better. But still just a little shocked.”

“Well listen, I’m gonna tell my friends to watch over you until I’m back, okay? You don’t have to worry.”

“Oh, yeah, they already told me. That’s really nice. You guys were really nice to me today.”

It had really meant the world. He saw that, but tried to brush it off. Too sweet for him to even deal with, you were.

“Okay, good. That’s good. You can get back to sleep, I just wanted to check on you before I went to bed.”

“Okay.”

-

The next day, you get home from school with your mom. She was going to take you and pick you up now, since Eddie wasn’t going for the time being and you couldn’t possibly ask him to do that. He already did enough for you as it was.

You head straight for Eddie’s room, wanting to see how he is. He’s just laying in his bed, playing guitar. His friends already missed him, and you missed him.

“Hi, eds.” You softly open his door.

“Hey.” He responds simply.

“Are you mad at me?”

“Huh? For what?” He looks confused.

“Getting you kicked out of school. I’m really really sorry.”

“Nope, not at all. And you’re not the one that got me kicked out, I did it myself.”

“You did it…. For me, though.”

“Stop it. It’s not your fault and I’m not mad. Seriously.”

“Well.. tomorrow’s the day. I thought you guys could play here, you know, instead of school. We all thought it was a good compromise.”

“‘We’, huh? You talking to my friends? I’m proud of you.”

“Wha-“

“I know you’re shy and timid, so it’s good to hear you’re talking to them and getting along so well. They only want the best for you, so do I.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I care about you, you know.”

“Oh. Thank you. I care about you too.”

He doesn’t want to continue this, talking about mushy feelings, so he just tells you to go do your homework. You feel it, the love.

-

“Hi eddddsss. I’m home.” You say before dropping your bag off in your room. He gets up and comes to see you.

“I see. Oh, shit, I’ve got to get ready fast. I lost track of time.” He realizes his friends will be there soon, also having just gotten out of school.

“What were you doing, sleeping all day?” You joke. He doesn’t answer, and you know that it was actually true now.

“That’s okay. You deserve it. The rest.” You add.

He smiles, he fucking smiles, and you just move without thinking. You go to wrap your arms around him in a hug, and he stays stuff for a moment but soon gives in, letting you melt into his chest.

When you pull away, you smile at him, and he smiles again. You weren’t sure if you crossed a boundary or if he wanted a hug, but he got one anyways. You were just grateful for him.

“You saved me.”

“You’re so dramatic. I did what I had to do for you.” He concludes, heading down to the living room to set up.

-

You were excited for tonight, the whole group together again. You decided you wanted to join in, just as a spectator.

That included the setup too, you just sat and watched while Eddie prepared the space. When you heard a knock at the door, you’d get up to let them in.

Soon, the boys were all here, gathered around your living room table. You went back and forth getting them drinks, they basically drained your entire supply of soda.

You always settles back down onto the couch, though, and this time you look down, looking at Gareth. It’s almost as if he instantly feels your gaze, because his eyes flick up and meet yours, wide and blown out pupils.

You smile at him, he smiles back, and you both blush. He shakes it off, trying to focus and stop thinking about you, but he knows you’re watching his every move. You soon stop, feeling like you’re making him nervous, and just payed attention to everyone in general.

“More Coke, eds?” You ask the boy at the end of the table.

“Uhh, fuck it, can I get a beer?”

“Mhm.” You nod.

He gets comments about how he better not turn into an alcoholic and never come back to school. He tells them to shut up.

-

At school, you’re doing your routine walk to and from classes with Gareth. The day is almost over, it’s the second-to-last period. He’s waiting outside the door of your classroom as soon as you walk out.

“Hey.” He says.

“Hi.” You smile.

You walk closely together, you’d seemed to have gotten closer every day to the point where now, your hands nearly touch. You feel yours brush up against his, but you don’t know if he notices it. You just try to let it go, don’t think about it so much, it’s normal. You had to walk close, the halls were packed. Right?

No, there really weren’t that many people. They brush again and suddenly his big cold hand is on yours and his fingers are intertwined with yours. He just looks straight ahead, trying to fight a smile but still showing a dimple.

You look down at your feet as you walked hand in hand, trying not to smile just like he was. You’re secretly so sad that you have to let go once you arrive at the door. You don’t say anything, just go inside. He walks to his own class, wondering what you were thinking.

What you were thinking was that you didn’t quite realize it til then that you actually liked him. A little bit of it was always there, from the moment he held your shaking hand that day in the cafeteria to comfort you. It had really worked.

You were thinking about his eyes, the way he looked at you last night. It was a fleeting glance, but it felt like something. Like it had something behind it. About his smile, about how he was just about as shy as you were. And so sweet.

He was thinking about how close he feels he’s grown to you in just a few days, and how important his job to protect you was. He realized he would do anything for you not to be hurt again.

He thought about how the other guys just looked at you as Eddie’s sister, someone who was just hanging around for the time being. He saw you. He didn’t even think of Eddie when he saw you, only how beautiful you really were now that he’d been getting closer to you.

You try not to think too much about it, but ended up writing a “G” with a heart next to it in your notebook anyway. You quickly scribbled it out. Weird.

-

The week passes, and now it was only a few days til Eddie could come back to school. It was also time for Hellfire again. You had gotten so used to being stuck to Gareth’s side that you weren’t sure how you’d adjust.

Eddie would take his place and protect you then. That’s all Gareth was doing, so why are you falling for him? He’s just watching over you, like he said he would. But all week, you’d been doing the same thing, holding hands walking to class and sharing looks over the lunch table. You weren’t sure what was happening or if there even was anything happening.

“Dude, I saw you two in the hall. You like her, I knew it.” Mike says, looking grossed out at the fact before you get to the table with them.

“Shut up.” Gareth whispers.

“You talking about him and y/n? I see it too.” Jeff adds.

“Dude.” Gareth whisper-yells again. “I like her. But you’re not going to say shit to Eddie tonight. I’m not ready to face him like that, I don’t know what he’s gonna do.”

He finishes his sentence right before you approach the table. They all smile at you.

“Hey, you okay? Sorry I didn’t stand in line with you, I didn’t want any food today. Shit’s gross.” He gestures to everyone’s trays full of mystery meat and peas.

“It’s okay.” You laugh, poking it with your fork. “Yeah, I don’t think I do either, now that you mention it.” You laugh, pushing it away from you.

The bell rings, and it’s time to go back to class. School drags on and you zone out the rest of the day, just sort of excited for it to be over, and for Gareth to be over. Granted it’ll just be you guys staring at each other, it was still something you looked forward to. Any chance to see him.

Later that evening, you make sure to freshen yourself up this time. You fix and reapply your makeup and change into a different outfit. Your mascara was extra dark and your lips were extra glossy. When you get downstairs, Eddie notices.

“What’d you get all ready for? Trying to impress the group of nerds and losers coming over?”

“No…” you trail off, not having anything to retort back with. It was true, but not the group, just one of them.

“Uh-huh.” He says, sarcastically, not believing you. Your blush gave it away. He just rolled his eyes and finished setting up.

An hour later, everyone was here.

“Are you excited for Monday?” Jess jokingly asks.

“Wha- oh shit.” Eddie realizes that he’s gonna have to go back to school very soon. “No, I’m not.”

They all ask him about what he’s been doing with all this free time, he tells them he sleeps a lot, and isn’t going to be able to cope with going back to waking up at 7AM. You sit in there with them, watching them again.

The game was complicated and confusing, but you were trying to feel like you understood what was happening. It kinda all sounded like a different language. You ended up with your eyes on the fluffy-curly-haired boy, seeing all the expressions he makes and listening to all the things he says.

Seeing his eyes light up or his eyebrows furrow, the dimples that form on his cheeks. His gaze eventually meets yours when there’s a lull in action, and it lingers, just looking at each other for a few moments.

One of the other guys punched him in the shoulder to get his attention back on the game, and he jumped a little which made you laugh. He noticed you giggling and smiled, shaking his head.

-

At the end of the day on Friday, you’re at your locker. When you open it, a piece of paper falls out and you pick it up. It’s folded and a little tattered with boyish handwriting.

“Do you feel it too?

- G”

You look around, but he’s nowhere to be seen. You only knew one G, and he’s not here.

You put the piece of paper in your pocket and smile to yourself. You pull out a sheet of paper and quickly write:

“I do.”

You fold it up small and run to sneak it into his locker, then head out to where your mom was waiting to pick you up.

-

The next morning, he’s waiting for you at your locker, clutching your note in his hand.

“Hi, Gareth.” You smile, entering your combination.

“Can we talk?”

Your heart drops. You didn’t want to, not out loud, you felt like you’d make it awkward.

“S-sure, about what?” You turn around

“About, uh…” he’s too nervous to speak. “fuck it.”

He leans in quickly and swiftly, pressing his lips onto yours. You’re surprised, but also really, really happy. You smile so much that you have to break the kiss because it’s no longer possible.

“Eddie’s gonna be so pissed at me.” Reality sets back in for him.

“No he’s not. We can tell him on Monday. Right now, can you just… kiss me again?”

-

You and Eddie arrive at school on the following Monday. He’s grumpy because he had to wake up early, and that he had to come back to this place.

He also didn’t want to see Jason’s stupid face, but was excited to see his friends. When he walks into the cafeteria for breakfast, everyone turns to stare.

People murmur about how he’s back, and about how he went crazy on the basketball team seemingly for no reason. You walk with him to the table, but don’t sit beside him this time, beside Gareth instead.

“Why’re you not sitting by me, do you think I have germs or something?” Eddie asks, a little offended.

“Eds.”

“What?”

You and Gareth were holding hands under the table, and you brought them both up to where he could see your fingers interlocked.

“Oh, shit.” He looks confused and is visibly trying to register in his brain.

“Are you mad?” You ask, a little worried that he would be. “Because if you are, be mad at me. Not him.”

“No, I’m not mad. Just surprised, that’s all.”

The topic seemingly closes just like that, and it isn’t mentioned again til the bell rings and you’re walking to class. Everyone leaves but he keeps Gareth at the table.

“Dude, I’m sorry.” He apologizes, thinking he was about to let loose on him.

“I said I’m not mad, chill. She can do what she wants. But I need you to know something, Emerson. You remember what I did to Jason? The way he was bleeding on the floor and crying for his fucking mommy?”

He nods, slowly.

“You hurt her and that will be you. Got it? She’s a special girl. I love her, man, I care about her, so just don’t hurt her. If you don’t, all is okay.”

“O-okay.” He stutters, surprised. Eddie pats him on the back, getting up to leave the cafeteria.

[chysgoda]

Matches

A traditional story

Set between 6.0 and 6.1

Art’imis tried to remember why she thought trying to find Hilda while she was on duty was a good idea. A snowflake landed on the tip of her nose and the warm weight of the bag on her shoulder reminded her. Hilda took the evening shift on Starlight Eve to give as many of her people time with their families as possible. The bag on her shoulder held fire crystals and a couple of sealed mugs of Haurchefant’s hot coco. She smiled briefly thinking of the knight and how he would have more than likely to have encouraged this little clandestine adventure, but insisted that he either carry the bag or her. 

The list of people who would scold her for walking this much in the cold while carrying anything was extremely long, but Art’imis was getting restless in her convalescing.  she’d fought battles on fresh injuries, a quick walk with a bag containing a pair of mugs was not going to kill her. Resolutely she ignored the imaginings of Y’shtola’s and Krille’s unimpressed looks, as well as X’rhun’s and Eddmont’s disappointed looks. She was going to be just fine.

The sound of boots crunching in fresh snow turned her head in time to see Hilda Ware turn a corner. The watchwoman cocked an unimpressed eyebrow at the smaller Raen woman. Art’imis abruptly realized that Aymeric and Edmont had probably spread the word that the Savior of Ishgard was NOT to be engaging in physically strenuous shenanigans. Honestly, it was like they expected her to fall apart. 

“So,” Hilda grinned as she sauntered up to the Raen woman. “I’ve got permission from the Lord Commander to drag you to the congregation’s cells by your horns if you‘re doing anything that might reopen any wounds.”

Art’imis scowled at Hilda which just made her grin broaden. She made sure to keep eye contact with the younger woman as she slid the bag off her shoulder and brought out one of the mugs to offer it to her. “After I went to all the effort to track you down for this?”

Hilda took the mug and removed the lid. When the smell of chocolate wafted up with the steam her eyes widened. “Is this Haurchefant’s recipe?” 

Art’imis smirked and lifted her hands in mock innocence. “Didn’t you know he gave me the recipe?”

Hilda moved to smack the back of  her friend’s head and Art dodged absently, only to hiss when the movement pulled on a set of stitches that were not ready to come out. The watch commander scowled and plucked the bag from Art’s loosening fingers. “Your daughter stays down when the healers tell her to ya know.”

Art scowled though she knew there was a petulant element to it. The hound smirked at her before taking a slow sip of the hot chocolate. They both stepped towards a building in the lee of the wind where Hilda leaned back against the wall and looked up to the clear sky. Art’imis followed suit the starry sky made her remember the image Urianger had painted for Y’shtola when night had returned to the Great Wood…

“It’ll be a killing night,” Hilda’s blunt tone drew Art’imis out of her memories. The watchwoman rolled the mug between her hands. Looking down into the creamy brown drink. “We’ll be finding bodies in the morning of the ones who had no place to get out of the cold.”

Art’imis pressed her lips together in a thin line remembering Ul’dah’s killing suns in high summer, a similar situation even if it was the opposite element. She took a breath but her jaw snapped shut when she heard something rustle in the alley right next to them. The paladin pushed off the wall and peered into the alley. The was the distinct scratch of a match head and a sharp pain accompanied the hiss of a new flame. Art’imis pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead but the vision already had her. 

A little hyur girl peaked into the cafe window. She had to peer through her reflection of cheeks that were rosy with chill rather than health. Beyond her reflection she saw a family sitting at a table near a giant fireplace that heated the entire cafe. A father had pulled his two children into a hug tilting their chairs dangerously close to over turning. On the other side of the table the mother covered her mouth with a napkin to hide her laughter-

The vision released her and Art’imis snapped a hand out to catch the corner of the building and steady herself. She blinked realizing she had not been swaying at all because Hilda had a hold of her other elbow. The watch woman motioned to the grip of her gun but Art’imis shook her head. She took careful steps into the alley. Not silent, she didn’t want to panic the child, her gut insisted that the little girl in the vision was who the memory belonged to. She caught sight of a pale hand scraping the head of another match along the brick wall. The flame burst into light with a high pitch pop and heralded another sharp pain behind her eyes. 

She’d found two whole apples and a few scraps of ham. The apples were going a bit soft and the ham was probably within a day of turning, but that didn’t matter because it would be a little feast tonight for her and Nana. She scrambled up, down, and around the debris that still littered most of the Brume.  There was a little hollow in a pile of debris just big enough for her and Nana to sleep curled up together. It kept them safe from snow and wind, Nana gave thanks to the Fury every night for the little bit of shelter that kept them dry. She came around to the entrance of her home. 

Nana wasn’t there. 

There was a thin elezan man who glared at her when she began to stammer. “Wh-Where is my Nana?” 

“The old bitch? Dead and the watch probably already took her to the butchers that call themselves doctors for practice.” The man kicked a foot out and caught her shoulder. Her feast scattered as she tumbled to the ground. The man grinned, “Leave the food or you’ll get another kick.” 

The little girl reached for one of the apples-

Art’imis felt Hilda steady her again as she blinked the vision out of her eyes. She took a deep breath and looked down into mousy brown hair and pale brown eyes. A small voice spoke before she could,“Are you Halone’s angels?”

“She might be,” Hilda jerked a thumb at Art’imis with a grin which only got bigger when she saw the side eye the Raen woman gave her, “I’m just another mongrel.” 

“Oh,” the child said dully. 

Art’imis crouched down so she could look the little girl in the eye. “Can I see your hands please?”

“If you’re one of Halone’s angels you won’t hurt me right?” The child pulled her hands close to her chest. 

Art’imis kept her smile soft even as her heart broke a little bit. She rested one of her hands above her heart. “I swear on the Fury’s grace I will not harm or allow harm to come to you.”

The girl’s eyes went round and slowly she offered her hands to Art’imis. Long years of maintaining her composure for the sake of others kept the Paladin from flinching. If they were lucky she might be able to use magic to keep the child from losing the tips of her fingers. A quick glance down showed that the child didn’t have shoes either. “I would like to use a healing spell but it will sting a bit. Is that okay?” 

The girl nodded looking back and forth between the two women in awe. With slow and steady movements Art’imis cupped the girl’s small hands between her own and blew out a breath as she focused. She tugged gently on the elements around her and wove them into a spell. Between Art’imis’s hands a pale blue light began to glow. She channeled just enough to make sure that the fingers and toes were safe. In the back of her mind she could hear E-Sumi-Yan explaining how healing magic could go awry if the underlying problem was not addressed first. 

“What’s your name?” Hilda asked to distract the girl from any pain from Art’imis’s spell. 

The girl swallowed hard and looked up at Hilda, “Felicity.”

“There’s a pretty name,” Hilda smiled. “Mine’s Hilda, and our angel friend here is Art’imis.”

The woman in question huffed when she let go of her spell. “That will do until we can get you properly warmed up, and I’m no more an angel than you or Hilda.” 

“My Nana said real angels won’t admit to being angels.” Felicity stated solemnly. 

Art’imis sighed, Hilda’s grin told her that she wasn’t going to get rid of this particular title anytime soon. “Well I don’t think you should be walking on those frozen feet. So I’ll carry-“

“No, I'll carry her.” Hilda said glaring at the other woman. “If you tear those stitches on my watch your man will singe my hair. I’ll take her to my place tonight and you are going home to the Fortemps where you’ve probably got a warm body to cuddle up against.”

Again, Art’imis knew her frown was petulant but there wasn’t much she could do when Hilda swooped down and picked the girl up. The Raen woman sighed and stood up doing her best to ignore how her knees ached. She began to pull her coat off but hissed when the movement pulled on her stitches. Art’imis scowled at nothing, it hadn’t hurt to get the damn thing on. Pointedly she ignored how Hilda was whispering to the girl that angels could be absolute fools and shucked off her gloves to pull them over Felicity's feet. “It looks silly, but those will at least keep your toes warm.”

The little girl waggled her feet and giggled when the empty fingers flapped. Both women smiled in relief, a bit of life meant that Felicity’s spirit had not been crushed by the street. Hilda readjusted her hold and looked at Art’imis, “my place is closest, I’ll take her home for the night and get her warmed up and fed.”

“I’ll come by tomorrow-“

“Afternoon.” Hilda interrupted firmly. “Go spend Starlight with your family Art. We’ll be just fine, it’s not my first time dealing with frostbite, it probably won’t be my last.”

Art’imis held up her hands in defeat. “Alright, alright, be careful with her right shoulder. She took a nasty kick there. And there’s a rumor we need to talk about later.”

Felicity’s eyes went wide with shock. Hilda nodded, “Echo?”

“Sometimes it’s good for something,” Art’imis shrugged, “I’ll see you two tomorrow.”

Turning around the Raen woman waved as she began walking towards the aetheryte shard.  

“I think she just doesn’t know she’s one of Halone’s angels,” Felicity said decisively. Hilda laughed when she heard Art’imis’s aggrieved sigh. 

—-

Felicity sat on the floor near the iron stove. The warmth was almost painful after being so long without it. Hilda had draped a wool blanket over her and ordered her to stay put for a moment. Behind the grill of the pot belly stove the red light was a soft, constant, red glow rather than the flickering yellow of a fire. It was a simple puzzle that was easier to deal with than everything else that had happened that night. Actual angels had found her when she had been sure she would die huddled in that ally. They denied that they were angels, which Felicity felt was right and proper, but they acted like she thought angels should. 

Felicity looked up when she heard Hilda come back into the living room. “What can hurt an angel?”

“Most anything I’d figure,” Hilda set down a tray in front of her that had bowls of stew, a pile of rolls, and mugs with steaming drinks. The woman then sat down right next to Felicity and wrapped them both in another blanket. “You start with that mug of broth and a roll. Take it slow like and if that doesn’t upset your stomach then you can have the stew.”

Felicity reached for the mug slowly half expecting it to vanish and find the dream over when she woke up in that frozen ally. The heat of the mug stung but didn’t burn when she wrapped her hands around it. She took a small sip and her eyes went wide. Broth was salted water as far as she understood it. This tasted of chicken and savory vegetables. Felicity gulped her next drink only to splutter and cough when too much hot liquid hit her throat. She felt Hilda’s calloused hand rub gentle circles on her back until she could breathe. 

“I told you to take it slow.” The watchwoman’s amused tone made Felicity stare in bewilderment. She wanted to say it reminded her of her father, but in truth she couldn’t remember either of her parents that well. Felicity looked at the food that was more flavorful than any she’d had. She looked at the well kept iron stove and up into Hilda’s red eyes that held a bone deep understanding that Felicity had not expected in such a noble lady or an angel. Hilda gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay to be overwhelmed, lass. It’s been a lot for you.”

Felicity hiccuped as a whimpering sob broke out. She leaned into Hilda who plucked the mug from her hand before it could fall to the floor and then pulled the waif into her lap. Felicity pressed her face into Hilda’s shoulder and sobbed, unable to pull the emotion back in. She sobbed as bits of memory poured through her in bits and shards. Her grandmother’s wind worn lips on her forehead. The gold edged scales on a face that bore the small tell tale scars of a fighter but with compassion etched sharply in the small wrinkles around her eyes. The sharp pain as a man’s boot crushed into her shoulder to add another injury to finding out her grandmother was dead and missing. Soft and hard memories thundered through her until she was empty. When she stopped hiccuping and her breathing evened out, Hilda pressed the mug back into her hands. 

——

“Are you still planning on coming home for a bit tomorrow?” 

Lucia blinked at how her lady love started the link pearl call. “I will be on the supply ship that leaves tonight. Maxima, Jullus and the twins should be able to handle anything that comes up here.”

“Wonderful. I found a youngling I’d like you to meet before I get adoption papers.”

Lucia had years and training and decades of experience controlling her expressions. All of which failed her. “Come again?”

“Not right now, the kid’s on the couch.” 

Lucia pinched the bridge of her nose and ignored the concerned looks from Maxima and Alphinaud. “This is not how adoption works, Hilda.”

“It worked for Art.”

“Art’imis Chysgoda is a good role model for absolutely nothing and you know it.” 

“Felicity is an angel you’ll adore her. See you when you get home love.”

Lucia ignored the amused looks she was getting and very carefully placed her link pearl in her belt pouch. What in all seven hells she didn’t believe in had Hilda done while she was gone?

[kajordi]

I Demand to See the Ambassador Story

I DEMAND TO SEE THE AMBASSADOR - read the sign written in beautiful Mkhedruli alphabet, the ancient characters of the Georgian language are delectable and readable to only around 4 million people worldwide. I deciphered the message in less than the 5 steps it took me to walk past it, thanks, in part, to my remarkable ability to read the English translation below it. The man and his two companions held the sign near the impenetrable US Embassy.  My usual curiosity compels me to engage them. What serious issue requires such a demand? My 10 minutes remaining lunch break prevents me from satisfying my inquisitive nature.

I wish people would stop and think about persuasive communication for a bit. Your wife surely loves you, right? How would it go if next time you need to talk about something important you begin with: Wife, I demand you listen to me! Wouldn’t, please give me a minute dear, be far more conducive? 

I enter my dad’s office as I would any other room at home. I announce myself and greet everyone with a hello and a smile. Then quietly sit down and wait on him. I get pacy then sleepy from waiting. My ass hurts after 45 minutes on the darn wooden bench, which, I'm convinced, dad chose brilliantly for the purpose of shortening meetings. I don’t mind waiting. My father is an important man with 900 people under his management. Well, he and the group of cousins. Not anyone has access to my dad. Had it been our trustworthy Olivio, it would have taken him a 5-hour trip to see him and probably an additional four waiting on him to go back feeling very grateful and accomplished in securing some medical treatment favor. I, on the other hand, have access to dad and I am his top priority.

I met the Ambassador the day before. I didn’t recognize her. She was so friendly and interested in me that I felt okay to casually sit by her and chat. The exchange was so delightful that I wanted to remember her name, so I asked someone nearby. That’s when I realized that I had spoken to someone powerful and important. 

I hear President Biden may go down in history as one of America’s great presidents. The complaints against him are rather of being far too personable and treating strangers like dear friends: He spoke too close to me, put his arms on my shoulders, kissed my forehead-type of grievances. I can easily imagine talking about my kids with him as I did with my honorable Ambassador. But this, I will not have the chance to. Biden is an important man. And while I have no doubt he would show interest in our chat, he has a crushing weight of responsibilities to attend to and not enough lifetimes to deal with them.

Pondering about access to powerful people I came to think about the Creator whom I affectionately call Heavenly Father. How many times have I demanded action from Him? He didn’t smack me for my impertinence as my own dad would have. At most, He ignored me a bit. Would it not be more favorable for me to try to be a little more persuasive? To humbly ask for an audience that I don’t deserve based on my bargaining power or merit and show some gratitude for it? 

Then I thought about my friend George, whom I had the pleasure of seeing recently after a couple of years. George says he no longer believes in God. It made me a bit sad. I doubt my sign holder thought about preparing a manifesto or communique to deliver to the Embassy. They would have taken it. I’m pleased my sign holder believes the Ambassador exists and has the power to do something about his situation. Whether my friend George believes in God or not, God can do something about his needs. Whether George notices it, or not, God is pulling strings to his benefit. Yet some people tend to find favor among men. They’ve figured something out. And a further yet, there are a few people that seem to find high levels of favor with God. It would be good for us to figure this one out.

[genevievemd]

The Year Between (20/22)

May 12-13, 2022 - Past The Clouds

Book: Open Heart: Third Year Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Genevieve McClure) Word Count: 2033 Rating: T Category: , Extended Series: WIP, AU Series, fluff Trope(s): 

Summary: ~Series: Following their engagement, Ethan and Gen navigate the year between the ring and wedding. ~ Chapter: It’s the final two days before the big day. 

Warnings: none

A/N: Originally, this chapter was going to be the entire week leading up to the wedding, but I changed it to just the two days before, because I feel like that’s all we need. So enjoy. Gen meets Ethan’s extended family, and then we have the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Lots of fluff. 

May Part 1 ~ Part 2A~ Part 2B ~ TYB Masterlist

Ch. 1 ~ Ch. 2 ~ Ch. 3 ~ Ch. 4 ~ Ch. 5 ~ Ch. 6 ~ Ch. 7 ~ Ch. 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch. 10 ~ Ch. 11 ~ Ch. 12 ~ Ch. 13 ~ Ch. 14 ~ Ch. 15 ~ Ch. 16 ~ Ch. 17 ~ Ch  18 ~ Ch. 19

Thursday, May 12th

11:09 AM

He can hear her fumbling around in the master bath from the living room, her muttered curses finding their way across the apartment. 

“Gen?” Ethan gets off the couch, taking a single step towards their bedroom. 

He knows she’s nervous about meeting his family today, though she has no reason to be. Their opinions mean very little to him, and they were only invited to the wedding at her and his father’s insistence. If Ethan had his way, their wedding would have consisted of ten people in total and happened a week after getting engaged. 

“I’ll be out in a second.” There’s a crack in her voice, the one she gets when she’s desperately trying to swallow down her anxiety.

It always breaks his heart, and has his feet carrying him to wherever she is. Wordlessly he enters the bathroom, moving to stand behind her. 

Their eyes meet in the mirror as Ethan kisses the back of her head. “What’s wrong?” 

“What if they don’t like me?” Genevieve sighs, dropping the makeup brush from her hand and leaning back against his chest. 

“They’ll love you.” 

“Okay, but what if they don’t?

“Genevieve,” He turns her around gently, hands moving to cup her face. “If they don’t like you, it changes nothing. I personally, could care less what they think. But, I am certain that they’ll love you. It’s impossible not to.” 

“Tell that to your mother. She hates me.” 

“Let her. She’s not a part of my life, or our life together.” Ethan smiles gently, kissing her forehead. “Everything will be okay. We’re getting married in two days.” 

That gets her to smile, looking up at him from under her lashes. “Yeah, that’s true.” 

“Come on, let me show you off to my family.” 

11:45 AM

They had chosen to meet Ethan’s family at a restaurant near the hotels for the wedding quests. A quaint little diner perfect for the pivotal moment. 

Genevieve takes a deep breath as they walk through the door, squeezing Ethan’s hand tightly. 

“Ethan!” A chorus rings out from the far corner, a large group turning towards the door. 

The only person she knows is Alan, and his friend Beverly, everyone else is a stranger. 

She wonders briefly as they walk to meet them if Ethan had felt this nervous when meeting her family two years ago. If he too felt like his heart was in his stomach and his stomach was in his throat. 

“So, you’re the woman my grandson has kept hidden away.” The oldest man in the group steps forward, pulling Gen into a hug. 

“I am.” She smiles, feeling a weight lift as she meets Ethan’s eyes, catching him winking with a smirk. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr Ramsey.“ 

“Oh please, call me, Jonah. We’re family now.” Jonah smiles wide as they pull apart. 

“Wait.” She turns towards her husband, shocked. “Your middle name is Jonah. You’re named after your grandpa? You didn’t tell me that!“ Gen smacks Ethan’s arm playfully. 

“I could have sworn I had.” 

“You didn’t!” 

“Well,” His grandmother steps forward, and devious smirk on her face, “I have plenty of young Ethan stories I can tell you as revenge for him keeping that little secret. And I’m sure his cousins do as well, come on.” 

They share a laugh as they walk to their table, the last bit of worry fading away with every step. 

Friday, May 13th

8:43 AM

Sunlight creeps in through the crack in the curtains, casting a streak of light across their bedroom. He can’t remember the last time he’d slept in this late, their trip on Valentine’s Day perhaps. Or even as far back as his and Gen’s trip to Paris. 

Ethan turns in bed, with the intent of pulling his wife close for some mid morning snuggles, but his plan is throttled by her already sitting up right. Nose in her phone and the cutest look of concentration on her face. 

“Good morning.” He props himself up on his arm, unabashedly staring at her. 

“Morning.” She barely looks at him, all focus still on the phone in her hand. 

“G, what are you doing?” 

“Making sure everything is set for today. Why did we think it was a good idea to have our rehearsal on Friday the thirteenth? Friday the thirteenth! Do you know how many things can go wrong today!? Alma and Ethan could miss their flight, Henry and the kids could get stuck in traffic, it could rain when we start rehearsing the ceremony. The restaurant could have forgotten our party for tonight. I could –” 

Ethan cuts her off, sitting up to take the phone from her hand. “Genevieve.” 

“What?” Her shoulders slump, sighing defeatedly. 

“Relax. Everything is going to be fine.” 

“You don’t know that.” 

“I do, in fact, and you know why?” Ethan pulls her into his arms, leaning back against the headboard. 

“Why?” 

“Because in twenty-nine hours, no matter what happens, we will finally be getting legally married. And there isn’t a single thing that can happen between then and now that can change that.” He kisses her head, lingering for a moment. “This is it, Rookie, we made it.” 

“Not yet. Say that again in thirty hours after the ceremony.” 

“Gen, look at me.” His wife sighs again, getting out of his embrace to look at him. His heart breaking the tiniest bit at how apprehensive she is. Ethan takes her face in his warm hands, thumbs stroking her cheeks. “We’re already married, correct?” 

“Yes.” 

“And what else is left to be done to make that official?” 

“Sign the paperwork and send it in and then wait for our marriage liscense to come in the mail.” 

“And does any of the millions of ways something can go wrong today or tomorrow change that?” 

“No, because we can do that regardless.” 

“Exactly.” He tugs her face forward, kissing the tip of her nose. “We made it, Rookie.” 

“We made it.” 

8:45 PM

It turns out, Ethan had been right that morning. Nothing catastrophic had happened that day, everything went perfectly. Henry, the kids, Alma and little Ethan Hudson, had all arrived on time, their rehearsal went perfectly - even if Gen had started to cry when they stood at the alter, overwhelmed by the realness of it all - and now their rehearsal dinner was in full swing. 

Everyone was laughing, eating and drinking, enjoying the night before the big day. Their families were getting to know each other and the kids were in the corner dancing the night away. 

It was the perfect day before their perfect wedding tomorrow. 

Gen smiles, as she leans into Ethan’s side, listening to him laugh with Naveen and Henry. Her heart so full it felt like it might burst at any minute. 

They had worked so hard to get here, and now their happy ending was only seventeen hours away.

“If I could have everyone’s attention for just a brief moment.” Alan stands from beside Ethan, clinking his glass. “First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for being here tonight. I know for many of us it feels like a day we’d never see.”  

The room erupts in laughter, Ethan rolling his eyes. 

“Second, I’d like to take a moment to talk about not only this wonderful couple, but also the woman who has touched so many hearts, our sweet Genevieve. While I had long accepted my son would never marry, there was always a small part of me that hoped he’d, at least, find someone. And I knew from the first time Ethan told me about his Rookie, that she wasn’t just someone who got under his skin, or his friend, but she was someone he was very slowly and unknowingly falling in love with.”

Alan turns to face her and Ethan, his smile full of pride and hope, and love. “Genevieve, you are the best thing to ever happen to not just my son, but our family as a whole. Your love for Ethan, your support, has changed our lives for the better. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t think our family would have ever healed from our hardships and pain. And I thank you for that everyday. 

But most of all, I thank you for opening up my son’s heart, and showing him the kind of love that not many are fortunate enough to find. Ethan often says that Genevieve is filled with love, that it’s the essence of who she is, and I think we can all agree that he’s right. 

Finding someone like that is rare, and I couldn’t ask for anyone better to marry my son. So, please, if you would all raise your glass in honor of our beloved Genevieve and the love she and Ethan share. I wish you both nothing but happiness and a wonderful marriage. Cheers.” 

Her eyes are wet with tears by the end of her father-in-law’s speech, getting up to hug him as he finishes. 

“That was so sweet, thank you.” 

“I meant every word.” Alan hugs her tightly. “You changed his life, Gen.” 

“He changed mine, too.” She pulls away, wiping a tear from her cheek. Laughing internally at herself. There is no way she makes it through the rest of the weekend without going through at least one box of tissues. 

But for the first time in a long time, they were tears of joy and she’s happy to shed every one. 

10:30 PM

He hasn’t let go of her hand since they left the restaurant, soaking up every last second of being by her side before they part for the night. 

For a reason that makes little sense to him, Genevieve has insisted they keep the tradition of staying apart the night before the wedding. And no matter how many times Ethan insisted and reminded her that they were already married, she wasn’t giving in. 

So here he was, in the elevator of their hotel, dreading the moment he lets her go. 

It doesn't help that she and their wedding planner had picked the hotel chain that has quiet a few memories attached. 

They’re staying in The Celestial tonight, the hotel chain having a location just outside their home city, and when Gen found out she booked it without a second thought. Saying it was a throwback to their beginning, where she knew he was the one. 

He knew it that night, too. Kissing her on that Miami balcony had stirred something in him, awoken a part he didn’t know he had. It terrified him, forced him to push her away when he should have held her close. 

But here they were, three years later, on the eve of their wedding. More in love than he ever thought possible. 

“Time to say goodnight, babe.” She turns to face him once they make it to the bridal suite. 

“You sure I can’t change your mind?” Ethan takes a breath, wrapping her in his arms. “You know how much you hate it when we sleep apart.” 

“You’re right, I do hate it, but it’s only one night and it’s tradition.” Gen brings her arms around his neck, reaching up on her tip toes to press her forehead against his. “And remember in twenty fours hours, you’ll be carrying me through these very doors as my husband.”

“I can’t wait.” He closes the distance between them, kissing her the same way he had in Miami. Passionately and desperately. 

“You’re not helping. How am I supposed to leave you when you kiss me like that.” She’s breathless when they break apart, cheeks tinted the prettiest shade of pink. 

“I wasn’t trying to help, G.” 

“I’m standing my ground, old man.” Gen shakes her head, finally extracting herself from his embrace. 

He watches her open the door, the excited squeals of her bridesmaids already inside the suite echoing into the hallway. 

“Rookie,” Ethan calls after her before she door closes, smiling when she turns around. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” Gen walks back to him, taking his face in her hands. “I’ll see you tomorrow, husband.” 

“Tomorrow, my beautiful, wife.” 

A/N: We made it to the wedding bitches!!!! Who’s excited? 

Get your tissues ready, because the next chapter is their first look and ceremony and I’m determined to make all of us cry. 

(Tagging Separately) 

@choicesficwriterscreations​ @openheartfanfics​

[gldnlitskies]

for: shane ( @philcscphies​ ) location: outside of brinie bar

perhaps jude should’ve been more happier than he was on the inside, but he couldn’t help the small hint of sadness that tugged at his heartstrings. he was happy for his friends happiness, happy that the other had found his missing puzzle piece, genuinely, he wanted nothing more for shane. he just couldn’t help how his heart ached a little at the way tristan made shane laugh and how his stomach twisted a little at the sight of shane stealing glances towards his fiance. it wasn’t fair of jude to feel such a way, when the two were only ever friends, but he couldn’t help how he felt. he hadn’t realized it, until it was inevitably too late, that he had fallen for his long distance friend. every letter, shared secret, face time, phone call, text message, he hadn’t realized how he was slowly falling more and more for the other.

then they met in person, and he got his first hug, he got to feel how shane’s arms wrapped around him so protectively, and everything smacked him like a million bricks. finding out shane was engaged hurt, but what was he supposed to do? he offered an encouraging smile and agreed he’d come to the party to celebrate the occasion. he invited carrly in hopes that it would help make tonight less painful, and it did, but he still found he needed a moment to step away from it all. so, he takes a second to step outside the bar for a moment of fresh air. it didn’t help that jude didn’t really drink, or smoke, so the guy was trying, hard, to get through this with a smile and sober. though he knew the moment he’d go home a few tears would inevitably stream down his cheeks. it just felt like whenever jude was brave enough to let himself fall for someone, it was always the wrong person. he thought he had found something with demir, that whole opposites attract, and for a moment their story WAS beautiful, but that had crumbled despite how desperately jude tried to keep it from doing so.

“sorry,” he sighed, looking up at the night sky, “i didn’t think anyone else would even come out here. do you need me to leave? i just...needed a moment.” after a second he looks over at who had joined him, clearing his throat the moment he notices who it is, “shane? what, uh...what are you doing out here? shouldn’t you be inside enjoying the free liquor? you do, after all, deserve to celebrate tonight to the fullest.”

[fandom-imagines-stories]

There With You

Peeta Mellark x Reader

Words: 2532

Summary: A panic attack during the Victor’s tour leaves the reader gasping for breath backstage. Her fiance is able to calm her down, but now she’s afraid that what’s real and what’s pretend will blur together.

Notes: This is another kind of comfort fic based on my own experience, so I hope someone out there can connect with it. I love reading things to help calm myself down, so I hope that my comfort imagines can do that for somebody else. Plus Peeta is one of my comfort characters, so it works out. (Also, the reader has taken Katniss’ place in this scenario. Still love Katniss, but this fit the story)

Warnings: Panic attack, anxiety, the like (This is not a depiction of every kind of panic attack. This is just what I have experienced in the past)

-

None of this was supposed to happen. There wasn’t supposed to be two of you. There weren't supposed to be riots. The romance wasn’t supposed to be real.

Then why was he the only one keeping you from sprinting off that stage?

Peeta’s fingers were intertwined with yours as he spoke to the crowd, keeping you grounded. You tried to focus on the sound of his voice instead of the hundreds of eyes staring up at you. You looked up at the screens and saw her looking back at you. Her. The first person you’d ever killed and you couldn’t even bring yourself to think of her name.

Your breathing hitched and you could feel the squeezing, twisting grip around your throat. No no no not now. Not in front of the entire crowd. What would President Snow do to you if you broke down in front of an entire district? What would he do to Peeta?

“Thank you.” Peeta finished up his speech and a few people in the crowd reluctantly applauded. His eyes locked on your face, seeing a single tear fall down your cheek and he quickly led you off the stage.

He knew that District 9 would be the hardest for you. He still remembered the knife and the blood and the gore. You had killed her to save him. And now you had to live with that for the rest of your life.

The doors closed behind you and you immediately fell back against them, clutching your chest with your free hand. You ripped open the buttons on your high-necked dress, foolishly thinking that it would make it easier to breathe. The invisible hand had closed around your throat, knees crushing down your chest. When you closed your eyes, Clove was on top of you, choking the life out of you slowly, whispering all of the ways she was going to torment Peeta once you were gone.

“Let’s get her out of here.” Haymitch said, his expression a mix of worry and unease. He knew the image of a weak Victor would mean more problems that you weren’t ready to deal with. He remembered what it was like to be under the eye of the Capitol.

“I can’t… I can’t do this. Peeta, I can’t keep-” You gasped in between shaky breaths. Your vision was blurred at the sides and you were gripping the door to keep from collapsing. “I-I-”

“Shh, it’s okay. You don’t have to talk now.” Peeta said, putting a hand on your cheek. “Can you walk to the train?” You nodded, but couldn’t seem to bring your hands away from the door. Peeta looked back at Haymitch and Effie for a moment before turning back to you. “I’m going to carry you, okay?” You must have nodded because he kissed your cheek before scooping you up in his arms.

Your hands released the door and instead latched onto the lapel of his jacket. Every part of you was shaking and the weight on your chest was only getting heavier.

“P-Peeta.” You cried, feeling the tears welling up in your eyes.

“I’ve got you. We’re almost there.” He tried to hide the crack in his voice, trying to be the strong one for you, but seeing you like this split his heart in half. Haymitch and Effie huddled around you, trying to block the two of you from any prying eyes or cameras.

You didn’t notice when they finally got you onto the train. In your head, you were still on that stage, staring out at the little brothers of the girl you murdered. You thought for sure you were suffocating. Every breath was becoming harder and more painful than the last and the blackness at the edge of your vision was growing.

Peeta sat down, holding you in his lap and gently stroking his fingers through your hair.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe. You aren’t in the arena. You’re here with me.” He buried his face in your neck, gently pressing a kiss to the place between your shoulder and your spine. “You’re with me.”

“I’ll never leave that arena.” You whispered, your voice so quiet you weren’t sure if he even heard you.

This was far from the first attack you’d had since winning the games, but it was certainly the worst.

Haymitch and Effie just watched you with sympathetic eyes for a moment before leaving the two of you alone. Peeta held you tight until your breathing started to return to a steady pace. While your vision cleared, your body couldn't stop shaking and you couldn’t seem to pry your hands away from his jacket.

“I’m sorry.” You sniffed, trying to wipe panicked tears away on your sleeve.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I shouldn’t have made you go out there with me. I knew what it was going to be like for you and I should have-”

“They wouldn’t have let you go out there alone.” You shook your head. “There’s no hiding from them, Peeta.” You repeated your words like an echo, over and over again. “I’ll never leave that arena.”

“Then I’m right there with you.” He pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead and stood up, keeping you pressed against his chest. “Come on, we should try and get some sleep before we reach the next District.”

He carried you to your compartment and tucked you under the covers. He crawled up beside you without you having to ask. It had become an unsaid thing between the two of you. You kept the nightmares away as best as you could and when one of you woke up afraid, you weren’t alone.

-

Peeta had proposed for the cameras the day you left for the Victor’s tour, but it was all for show. The Capitol ate it up. When you really said yes, it was a week prior, just the two of you in the calming quiet in a meadow outside of the fence. It meant more that way.

Of course, Effie had picked out an extravagant ring for you to wear on stage and everything. It was gaudy and heavy and enough jewels to feed three districts for a month. But like the faked proposal, it wasn’t what was real.

You twisted the small bronze band around your finger, examining it in the faint light coming through the train windows. You had been awake for about an hour now, but Peeta’s peaceful sleep kept you from stirring. You rested in the warmth of his embrace and listened carefully to the slow, comforting sound of his heart beat.

You wanted to stay in this moment forever.

“Rise and shine you two.” Effie burst through the door and Peeta instantly went rigid beneath you, jolting up and pushing you behind him. You couldn’t see his face, but his expression frightened Effie. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think, I-”

“No, Effie, it’s okay. Really.” He said apologetically, his expression softening. “We’ll be out for breakfast in a second.”

“Alright. Don’t be long. I know they want to do a feature on engaged life. A little romance might be just what you two need.” She gave you both a small smile before walking out, the door sliding shut behind her. Peeta laid back on his elbows, blowing out a low sigh.

“I didn’t mean to scare her. I just heard the door open and all I could think was that someone was here to take you away.” He pulled you back down to him and gently pressed his lips to yours. Truthfully, he’d been in the middle of a nightmare when he heard Effie enter. He thought that the images in his head were becoming real.

“She’ll be okay.” You concluded, drawing circles on his chest . “Effie is tougher than she seems. And she knows what we’ve been through.” Despite her bright and sometimes obnoxiously optimistic attitude, you knew that Effie wasn’t a mindless pawn from the Capitol. She saw what the games did to you. She saw the children behind the victors.

Breakfast was mostly had in a settled quiet. While neither of you said anything, Haymitch glanced over at you and you nodded to let him know that you were okay. It was that silent understanding that was the foundation of your relationship with your former mentor.

“They’re doing an update interview to see how the Capitol’s darling lovebirds have been enjoying their tour.” Haymitch said gruffly. “Which means lots of blushing and doe-eyes from you two.”

“That won’t be hard.” Peeta noted, looking over at you. He meant it sweetly, but something about it sent a shiver of dread down your spine. You ignored it, giving him a small smile.

“It’s comforting to know we won’t need to convince anybody of the whole hopeless romantic thing.” Haymitch made a face. “You two do a wonderful job of making me nauseous all on your own.” Effie smacked him with her rolled up napkin.

“I think it’s wonderful.” She mused dreamily. “How something like that could bring you together.”

You stiffened, keeping your eyes on your plate, pushing your eggs around mindlessly with your fork. Sometimes you forgot that this was still all a TV show for people to gawk at. You would be the star crossed lovers from District 12 for the rest of your lives. No amount of real emotion you felt for Peeta was going to erase that.

The other three seemed to notice your shift and finished their meal in silence. Haymitch excused himself to the dining car for likely the rest of the day and Effie left to work on the speeches you’d have to read in front of District 8. You hadn’t eaten a bite, opting to sip slowly at your coffee instead.

“Just a few more days and we’ll get to go home.” Peeta said, noticing your empty stare and untouched meal. You just nodded, not really hearing him.

-

“So tell us, Peeta, when did you know that you wanted to propose?” Caesar grinned into the camera.

“Honestly, I knew the moment we stepped out of the arena that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.” Peeta gave your hand a squeeze and looked at you with complete and utter adoration. Caesar gasped in awe, eating up the fluffy romance that Peeta was perfect at portraying.

Is that all this is? The thought penetrated your mind before you could stop it. A performance? Is everything he says for the sake of the camera?

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever forgive you for not including me in the moment, Peeta.” Caesar pouted. “But it was just so sweet I can’t stay mad at you!” The two laughed and you forced a loving smile. “Really, proposing in front of the bakery just before you left for the tour- why, it’s probably the most romantic thing I have ever seen.”

“I’m glad it came off that way, because I was a nervous wreck!” Peeta exclaimed and they laughed again. You had to admire his acting ability. Maybe that’s what scared you so much.

He’s just performing. Is he performing with you?

“I think we all want to know,” Caesar beamed, turning his attention to you, “what was going through your head, Y/N? When Peeta got down on one knee?”

You pushed any doubt from your head and just focused on everything you knew was real. “Honestly, Caesar, I can’t think of a happier moment in my life. I never knew what I was missing until we found each other.”

“Don’t these two just make you believe in love, Claudius?” He gushed to his costar. “We’ll let the two of you get back to your tour, but I can’t say how excited we are to have you all to ourselves here in the Capitol.”

“We can’t wait.” Peeta grinned. You both smiled broadly, waiting for the little red recording light to turn off. As soon as the cameras were gone, Peeta lifted your hand up to his lips. “That went well.” He muttered against the skin of your palm.

“Yeah. I think they definitely believe that we’re the perfect couple.” You hadn’t meant to say it so bitterly, but as soon as the words left your mouth, Peeta’s expression changed.

“What’s wrong?” His eyes were different, the charisma that was there with Caesar was gone. His worry seemed to stem from something real, but you just couldn’t convince yourself that it was.

“Nothing.” None of this is real. It’s all just the games. What if you’re still in the arena? What if this is all in your head? You broke away from him, trying to hide the panic growing and growing inside you until it was all you could feel. You could hear him saying your name, but it sounded garbled and far away, like he was whispering in the rain.

What seized you now was unlike you’d ever felt before. Not only was it the dark panic that blurred your vision and tightened your throat until you couldn’t breathe- it was a complete disconnect from reality. It was like you were trapped inside one of their screens and you were banging on the glass, trying to get out.

-

You didn’t realize you had fainted until you woke up in Peeta’s arms. His was sitting up, cradling you in his lap like he had before, only now you were in your room and you had a blanket draped around your shoulders. You jerked away, your mind still terrified that even this wasn’t real.

“Woah, hey it’s okay. I’m right here.”

“This isn’t real. None of this is real.” You whispered in a panic, still trying to push away from him. This was the Capitol. They were in your head. “You aren’t real.” As hard as you shoved against him, his strong arms were locked around you. He pressed a kiss to your temple, holding you closer.

“I’m right here. I’m real. Just breathe. Come on, stay with me.” While his voice was soothing, your vision was still blurred with hot tears.

“We can never escape this. Every second of our lives belongs to them. Nothing is real. It’s all theirs.”

Peeta pulled away, taking your hand in his. He slid the bronze ring off your finger and held it up.

“This is ours. It’s not Snow’s, it’s not the Capitol’s, it’s ours. It’s real and it’s ours.” He put the ring back on and moved your hand to his chest. You could feel his heart beating beneath your fingertips. “I’m real,” He looked at you with a gentle and yet intense love, “and I am completely yours.”

You wiped away your tears and laid a hand on his cheek. “Peeta-”

“And no matter the nightmare, no matter the fear, or when your mind takes you back to the games, just remember I will always be there with you.”

He pulled you back to him and the two of you remained- away from the cameras and away from the Capitol. At least for now, you weren’t victors. You were a boy and a girl who had saved each other.

[narutogwriting]

If requests are open, then: Gaara has chosen a bride, but during their engagement she refuses to capitulate to Suna’s council and their desires to have her on their side instead of Gaara’s. So, in order to break trust/break them apart (the details are obvs your choice), a councilman or two sends a shinobi to sexually assault her.

Fortunately, Gaara discovers the man in time to save you.

With this prompt, could you write something for it? Hurt/confort, lemons (jfc tumblr just knock it off with the gag order already), dark/horror, your choice!

PRECIOUS

Pairing: Gaara x Reader

CW: Attempted sexual assault, light NSFW

Length:  4.6k+

A/N: I absolutely hate how this came out, but I hope it works for you and is what you were expecting!

You know that feeling you have when you’re younger? You have the adults in your life. They always seem to know exactly what to say, what to do. And you never truly have to worry, because if you don’t have the answer, there’s always someone that does.

Right and wrong. It’s all so black and white, and you’re lucky because the adults in your life always make the upstanding choices.

At least, that’s what you think. 

And then you grow up. Little by little, you become older and wise enough to realize the more you think you know, the less you do.

And maybe it’s something big or something small when you first start to lose your faith in those in authority. But there’s always a moment when it clicks; the people in authority know no more than you do, they’re not morally honorable at all. They just have the power.

You’d been a ninja your whole life, but as you got older, you opted to step into a more political role for your village. You’d been around long enough to see how corrupt the ninja system was as a whole, and you had wanted to change it from the inside out.

You thought you’d already had your moment, multiple moments, even, that showed you just how amoral and deceitful the powers that be were.

You had no idea how bad they truly could get.

“So, I hope you understand what we’re asking. Your compliance is… let’s just say, in your best interest.”

Silence ensued. Sunagakure, like the other villages, had a system of checks and balances. Gaara was the Kazekage, leader of the village, but that didn’t mean he had this all consuming power. The Suna Council consisted of twelve members, all in place to make sure the Kazekage is doing what they should and that all decisions were made in the villages best interest.

The council and the Kazekage were supposed to be working together for the village, to make things, better, to help the people. The council was supposed to be supporting the Kazekage as the leader.

So, in a way, you almost couldn’t believe they would ask you this. Only almost. . The Sand Village had never had a reputation of being above reproach. Why, it was just a few years ago when they had partnered with the Sound Village to overthrow the Leaf Village, killing the Hokage in the process. Gaara had only been a child then, but the Suna Council that had agreed with the plot then was the same council that now demanded you betray your husband to be.

They wanted you in their ranks. The direction that Gaara was ready to lead Suna in wasn’t a direction the elders were ready for it to go.

It was new and completely different from anything they’d seen before. But Gaara was insistent that Suna was going to enter an era of peace and perseverance. They would be a village that would fight for the good of the world, not solely their own interests. Suna as a village would no longer be number one. People would be.

And so they expected you to play a secret agent for them. They would give you orders, and then, as Gaara’s wife to be, you would manipulate him into their desires, make him think they were his own. You would play him as if he were a puppet on your strings.

Maybe it was because you had been a diplomat before moving to the Sand for Gaara. They thought because you were a politician, that you would understand their requests and be bought off so easily. It was the very reason you’d taken the position; the way village politics worked needed to change.

The twelve council members stared at you steadily and expectantly. They expected your concurrence, couldn’t imagine that there would be any thought of going against their wishes. They’d gone so long getting exactly what they wanted.

All good things must come to an end. 

There were a couple ways you could have played this. Agreed and then told Gaara what they’d asked. That they were demanding for you to work Gaara behind the scenes and manipulate him to their will. You could have agreed, even. Accepted their offers of power and betrayed your betrothed.

You had endless options, but you would take none of them.

Gaara was the love of your life, going to be your husband, and you would present as a strong front. You would let there be no question of where your loyalty was.

Pushing back your chair, you stood, smacking your hands down on the tables, a sudden, loud move that made the old hags jolt. You bit back a satisfied smirk; good. You wanted to scare them, let them know *exactly where they stood with you.

“How dare you?” You demanded from them, meeting each member’s eye slowly and purposefully, wanting them to understand just how badly they had screwed up by trying to turn you against Gaara.

“I don’t know how things worked back in your days, but Gaara becoming Kazekage has reigned in a new era of peace and restitution for the Sand. Things will no longer be the way you allowed it to for so long, full of evil and sneakiness and cowardice. You’re going to learn soon enough; Suna has no more need for the ways of the old world.” You pushed off the table, scowling in disgust.

“How dare you call yourselves leaders while you attempt to turn the Kazekage’s betrothed into a traitor.” Lips pursed, you looked over them all one more time, doing nothing to hide the contempt in your gaze. “The Kazekage is not going to be pleased when he hears about this.”

With that, you turned on your heel, stomping out of the room, letting the door slam closed behind you.

Out of the room now, away from their gaze, you leaned against the other side of the door, feeling the way your heart raced erratically. You couldn’t believe you’d talked like that to the Suna Council. 

You’d never been meek, really. Confrontation just wasn’t your favorite thing, and besides this, you respected your elders and village leaders greatly, not discounting their wisdom or experience just because of different times. You’d even admired the council up until this moment. 

But no amount of reverence or admiration would ever surpass what you felt for Gaara. You loved him more than anything or anyone, and you would always be on his side no matter what. There was nothing and no one that could make you falter or second guess being by his side.

Heading back to your apartment, you wished not for the first time you shared it with Gaara. You and Gaara didn’t live together yet; he wasn’t exactly traditional, but he wanted to keep up the appearance of it. He didn’t want to move in together until the two of you were officially married, and that day was coming up soon. You could wait just a little longer until you got to wake up to his face every morning.

Nothing sounded more blissful.

It had been a diplomacy mission that had brought you from your home in Iwagakure to Suna for the very first time. 

Love at first sight wasn’t necessarily something you believed in, but the first time you laid eyes on Gaara, you knew there was something special in him. You’d heard the stories and the rumors your whole life, the demonic reincarnation of the one tailed beast that killed everything in his path to the reformed and revered youngest Kage in history.

Gaara had been nothing like you expected.

He had the kindest eyes you’d ever seen. At a young seventeen years old, his eyes held stories of a hundred lifetimes. He was quiet, observant. He took in everything and everyone around him, considering their every move and word before responding himself. When he spoke, it was with a shared respect and understanding of those who he was addressing.

You’d bowed respectfully when you met, addressing him, of course, as Kazekage. When you’d straightened, his eyes on you had you blushing; you felt bare under his gaze.

A week. You were only in Suna one week, and that was all it took for you to fall for Gaara. From the first late night the two of you spent negotiating and discussing the particulars of the alliance between your villages, you got to know Gaara more than you’d ever imagined you would.

And Gaara was just as sprung. From your easy smile to the quickness of your thoughts to the passion in which you spoke, he’d never met anyone like you.

You were a marvel to Gaara, and he didn’t let you leave without letting you know.

You were surprised in all honesty. You hadn’t been able to read whether or not he was as interested in you as you were in him, but either way, you wouldn’t have expected a person like Gaara to be so forward.

He was modest and reverent the night before you were to go back to your village when he told you he’d like you to return soon. He left no room for you to wonder what he meant, instantly letting you know that it was because he was enamoured with you, and he had every intention in pursuing you romantically if you would let him. 

Of course you would.

It was one and a half years of dating before you’d opted to give up your position in your village to move to the Sand. Gaara didn’t ask you to, never would have dreamed of making you choose between him and your job, but it was the obvious choice to you.

You loved Gaara irrevocably, and he was Kazekage. He couldn’t leave his village, so you would go to him.

It was only a year after that when Gaara asked you to marry him in a way that was so him. It was quiet and private and romantic as hell.

He’d asked you to go with him for a quiet walk to the green house, just about the only place in Suna that had any plants. It was both of your favorite places, so of course you agreed.

When you’d arrived, the green house was alight with fairy lights strung from every corner. Petals from various flowers littered the floor walkway down to an arc of ivy that definitely hadn’t been there before.

Looking at Gaara, your mouth hung agape in disbelief and confusion. He gave you a soft smile, taking your hand and leading you down the walkway. By the time you got to the ivory arc, you had tears overflowing. 

“Yes!” You were crying before he even got down on one knee.

Gaara had tried to shoosh you with a small laugh, but you weren’t having it, throwing your arms around him and peppering him with kisses before he could get a word in.

“You have to let me ask you. I have a speech.” He tried to tell you, but gave up as you continued to kiss him, laughing and kissing you back. He pulled a rock carved in the shape of a heart. Lifting the lid, it revealed the beautiful ring he had made for you.

He had to hold you still so he could slip the ring on your finger before kissing your hand.

“I love you,” He told you, those intense green eyes gazing into yours.

~

Your wedding was still a ways away, but you and Gaara were clearly in love. Why the council genuinely thought you would go along with their demands were beyond you. You’d given up politics for love without a second thought.

Shaking your head, you were relieved when your front door came into view. The first thing you wanted to do leaving your meeting was to go straight to Gaara, but he was gone for the next week on his own diplomacy meeting.

You sighed as you got into bed. Whenever he was home, the council was going to be in for a world of hurt. You could only imagine how livid and betrayed Gaara would geel.

~

The next few days went by without incident, though that did make you feel just a bit nervous. You expected to be called in for some sort of meeting again, to be talked to, at least sent a message. 

But there was nothing. All was peaceful and quiet.

The time passes slowly and uneventfully. You did paperwork and spent time with some friends. That night, you settled into bed with a cup of tea and a book, wishing Gaara was beside you. He’d be gone for a few more days still. 

So you opted for just a relaxing night in by yourself. You usually went to sleep early-ish, but that night, you were up well past your usual bedtime, emerged in the fantasy world in between the pages you were reading.

It was because you were awake that you heard a noise from your living room. It was small, barely there, but you’d heard it. It sounded like someone had bumped into something, maybe your living room table, and had been quick to steady it.

You froze, listening carefully for any more sound, but nothing came. You had almost convinced yourself that you imagined the whole thing, but every one of your senses was on high alert. Carefully, slowly, you crept out of your bed, grabbing the kunai you kept under your pillow just in case.

You held your breath, not wanting to risk even making a sound, as you tiptoed towards your bedroom door. Ear pressed to the cool wood, you listened.

Silence met you, but you weren’t convinced. Years as a Shinobi had taught you to trust your gut. Something was off; you could feel it.

Decided to go on the offensive, you turned the door handle and threw open the door, quickly barreling through the opening. You caught the intruder dead in their tracks. He was dressed in all black, everything covered besides his dark eyes.

You were in such shock at there actually being someone there, you froze for a split second. The intruder took that second to attack, lunging at you.

He smashed into you, knocking both of you to the floor, and that’s when your instincts kicked in. As soon as your back hit the floor, you were rolling, throwing your legs over your head and then you were on your feet, sending a kick into the man’s abdomen.

The man let out a gasp as the air was knocked from him. Wasting no time, you sprinted to your front door, ready to flee and call for help.

You weren’t prepared for another intruder waiting at the otherside of the door. The second you opened it, locking eyes with him, his fist lashed out before you could even react.

Pain was all you felt before the world went black. 

~ 

The world came into view slowly. As your vision cleared, you realized you were in your own bedroom. When you tried to move, you were alarmed to find that your arms and legs were both bound. Your attempt at a scream was muffled by the gag in your mouth. 

“Heh, we’ve been waiting for you to wake up.” Your head jerked to see the intruder that you had kicked looming over you. “You’re lucky you got that kick in when you did, but I’m gonna have to pay you back for that one.”

He drew his hand back before smacking it across your face. You gave a muffled cry as the left side of your face stung in pain. 

“Stop fucking around,” hissed the other man. “We have orders. Get to it.”

You looked up between the two, scared and confused. What kind of orders? 

The first man chuckled with a smirk that looked more like a sneer. “Oh, I’m gonna enjoy this…” He mused as he pulled out a kunai. He moved toward you slowly, deliberately, letting the fear creep from your neck down your spine.

You shook your head, jerking this way and that, but the second intruder pinned you to the bed by your shoulders. “Better stay still, bitch.” He hissed at her. “We got a job to do here. This’ll teach you to defy the village council. By the time we’re done with you, you won’t think twice about doing what they say.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, your night shirt was fisted by the first man before he ripped the kunai through it. 

Your face burned hot with embarrassment and shame as the remains of your top were shredded, leaving you bare. You could feel their eyes looming over you, taking in every part of your skin.

“Even your fiancé ain’t gonna want you when we’re done.” You heard snickered, but by this point you’d screwed your eyes shut, not wanting to see them looking at you like you were a piece of meat.

Shuffling made your eyes peak back open to see the first man fumbling with the buttons of his pants. 

“Oh yeah, I’m gonna enjoy this.”

He shoved his boxers down, revealing himself as he palmed his length to hardness.

You began thrashing again with renewed vigor despite the hands still pinning your shoulders down. Somehow, you managed to free yourself from the second man's grasp, rolling off the bed and attempting clumsily to push yourself to your feet.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Your ankles were grabbed and unceremoniously, you were dragged kicking back to the man. In moments he had your own pants discarded before he was looming over you.

Everything about him was revolting you. His smell, his heavy body to those cold dead eyes. In one last desperate attempt, you headbutted him as hard as you could, feeling your forehead smash into his nose.

Warm blood spurted out, splashing over you as he let out a mangled scream. “You bitch! I’ll kill you!”

Spots flashed before your vision as his fist connected with your cheek, leaving you disoriented and drowning in pain.

“I’ve had enough of this,” the second man hissed, shoving the first one off of you. “I’ll take care of this.”

He pinned you with his entire body as you felt him shuffling for his pants once more.

You weren’t sure when you’d started crying, but the tears were flowing, drenching your cheeks as your stomach turned sickly. You screwed your eyes shut, willing your mind to go anywhere else but here.

There was nothing else to do but resign yourself to your fate. You couldn’t fight back or scream for help. All you could do was pray it would be over quickly. 

You were still waiting when the weight of his body suddenly lifted off of yours, and you heard the most horrifying scream. Your blood went cold at the sound, causing your eyes to shoot open.

Sobs began to wrack your body as it shook with relief so great it overwhelmed you. Gaara! He was here!

And you’d never seen him look so angry before. 

His eyes were wide and crazed, the vessels looking like they would pop at any second. The men were screaming, pleading, but Gaara couldn’t hear them pass the blood rushing in his ears. Teeth bared, he was growling, the sound menacing and maniacal.

In this moment you understood something in a way you never had before: Gaara was a force to be feared.

“Please! Please, we’re sorry!” “No! Don’t!”

“Sand Coffin.” 

The men let out one last strangled scream before they were silenced permanently. Blood splattered everywhere, pouring down like rain. It streamed down over you and everything else in your room. 

Gaara was panting hard, still looking more wild than you’d ever seen him. His eyes were locked on the sand that was seeping red with blood. 

A small whimper from you brought him back. His eyes quickly flickered to you, and it was like you could see his soul returning to his body.

He was by your side in a second, kneeling next to you and pulling you to him. He gently removed the gag from your mouth and removed the bind from your wrists and ankles.

He didn’t know what to say, didn’t have the words. He just held you while you weeped into his chest, wrapped in a blanket and finally feeling safe in his arms. 

It took you a while to calm down. The adrenaline had left your body, leaving you only with the weight of what had almost happened. The fear and shock left you trembling, ripping sobs from your throat.

“I’m here…” He kept repeating. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

Once you were able to finally relax, Gaara packed you a bag and took you to his home. You would never need to go back to your home with those traumatic memories, he decided. To hell with tradition or social conventions. He would move you into his home first thing the next morning.

At Gaara’s home, he ran a bath for the two of you filled with bubbles. He took a warm wash cloth, gently wiping the blood from your body. He massaged the blood back to the areas you’d been binded and iced the bruises on your face, any traces of the manic man from earlier gone. All that was left was the serene Gaara you knew and loved.

Gaara didn’t press you to talk or tell him anything the whole while, only made sure you were attended to and cared for.

It was later on once the two of you were in bed with Gaara holding you close to him that you filled him in on what had happened: the Suna Council attempts to get you to turn against Gaara and manipulate him to their purpose. What those men had said before they’d attempted to… you couldn’t even say the word.

Gaara took it all in silently, but you could feel his grip on you tighten just slightly as you spoke. He was livid; you could see it in his eyes, though it was much more subdued than before. “I’m so sorry this happened to you,” he finally spoke, his words heavy and choked.

“If you weren’t marrying me…” He stopped, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I’m sending out word first thing to the four other villages. We’ll have the members disbanded and imprisoned before the week ends.” He assured you with a conviction and sternness you’d only seen in meetings before. 

Nodding, you pulled him closer to you. “I never thought I’d see you again…” You told him. “I was so scared… I thought…” You shook your head. “You saved me. You’re always there.”

“Always,” Gaara said, kissing your head. 

He didn’t know whether to chalk it all up to luck or intuition that he’d come home early. He had just missed you so terribly, it was like he suddenly couldn’t stand to be away from you for another moment. He’d cut his diplomacy trip early and hurried back, getting to you in just the nick of time.

“I don’t wanna talk about it anymore…” You murmured, looking up at him. “I just wanna forget about it, just for tonight…” With that, you reached up to press your lips to his.

Gaara hesitated only for a moment before kissing you back. He’d missed you so much, and if this was what was going to make you feel better, well, who was he to deny you? In a moment, you were up on top of him, straddling his lap as you kissed him more forcefully, almost desperately.

Gaara’s arms went around you, fingers digging into your hips as he held you against him. He let one hand slide up your back into your hair, tangling his fingers in the strands. Slowly, your lips slid down, moving over his jaw down to his neck, peppering every area you could reach with kisses.

Your name left Gaara’s mouth, a low, needy whine. It sent a jolt through your body, and you began to grind yourself into his lap. You could feel Gaara’s grip tighten in your hair even more as he slowly began to harden underneath you.

Your fingers began to pull at the hem of his shirt desperately. You needed something to ground you. You needed Gaara.

He let you pull the shirt off of him, discarding it to the side before he was on you again.

He flipped you over so you were on your back as he attached his own lips to your neck, attacking the skin, marking you as his. You were moaning and trembling under his touch, begging him for more as his hands wandered your body.

“Gaara,” You groaned out as his fingers fumbled with the waistband of your pants. “No foreplay. I want you now.”

You could hear Gaara stifle his groan at your words before your pants were unceremoniously yanked down. His lips pressed harshly back to yours, all tongue and teeth. Gaara had put aside his own feelings earlier for yours, but now they were pouring out of him.

His anger at the council. His bloodthirst for those men. His fear for what almost had happened to you; you could taste it all in the kiss. Gaara needed you to ground him just as much as you needed him to ground you.

One moment you were kissing and the next your clothes were in a pile, and he was inside of you, hands pinning down your hips as he rutted into you desperately. Your nails scratched down his back, you tried to moan or cry out, but all your sounds were swallowed by his lips.

You were breathless, dizzy as his hips pounded into yours, never breaking the kiss. His pelvic bone caught your clit with every movement and it wasn’t long before you were gushing around him, but he didn’t slow his moments. He pulled your legs up, locking them around his waist. “More,” He was mumbling against your lips. “More.” When it was over, you cumming around his cock countless times before he finally found his own release, spilling inside of you endlessly, he pulled you into his side, holding you closer than he had in some time.

“I’ve never seen you like that before.” The image played in your mind, Gaara’s eyes wild and burning, the flames of anger behind them.

Gaara tensed slightly, but you placed your hand on his chest, calming him as you gazed up at him. You weren’t afraid of him. You were only… intrigued by this side of him you’d never experienced.

“I use to crave blood.” He told you. “I know you have heard the stories. My whole life, I was told I was a monster. I thought I was one. My sole purpose was to kill everyone around me so I could survive.”

His hand was rigid on your shoulder as he spoke, but you held his gaze unwavering. You accepted Gaara. Every part of him. 

“But now, I know my true purpose.” His stare was steady, sure. “Ever since I’ve become Kazekage. My purpose has been to protect those precious to me, those who need someone to protect them. I no longer crave violence or blood. But I will not let anyone, no matter who they are, hurt someone I love…” He pulled you even closer, placing a kiss on the top of your head. 

“I never would have dreamed I would have someone precious to me, or someone who I am precious to. But now that I have you, I’m never going to let you go.”

[writeroutoftime]

undercover feelings

pairing: jack thompson x reader (requested by: @rubesque)

summary: you and jack don't like each other in the slightest. but when an undercover mission throws the two of you together, what will become of your relationship? (aka - undercover enemies to lovers)

warnings: minor violence

words: 3.4k (not even sorry)

a/n: let me just start by saying, I know my action sequences aren’t the best, but I'm trying to get better. that said, I absolutely adored writing this story, and I hope everyone enjoys it! a lot of thought went into it, so please please let me know what you think!

oOoOo

As you strode towards Chief Dooley’s office, you noticed Jack coming up behind you out of the corner of your eye. Rolling your shoulders back, you tried to ignore his presence even as he was merely steps behind you, almost purposefully trying to catch the back of your heel. Right as you raised your hand to wrap your knuckles against the Chief’s office door, you let out a frustrated sigh.

“Is there something I can help you with?” you spit out, spinning around to face Jack, wishing you could wipe that smug smirk off his face.

“Never in a thousand years, y/l/n. It seems you’re in my way.” he said, trying to step around you and knock on the door himself.

Rolling your eyes, you blocked the door with your body. “Look, I know you think your daily suck-up sessions with the Chief will get you a promotion, but I was personally asked by Chief Dooley to meet with him, so move along.” you told Jack proudly, ready to see his anger bubble over.

To your surprise, Jack’s grin simply widened as he leaned in. “Me too, sweetheart.” he whispered, leaving you speechless, and pushing past you to knock on the door.

Collecting yourself, you quickly entered the office first, standing in front of the Chief’s desk with your hands behind your back. Every so often, your eyes flitted over to Jack, wondering what the Chief could possibly want with the both of you. It was no secret to any agent in the SSR that you and Jack had a strained relationship to say the least. From your first day, Jack had mistaken you as a secretary, thus beginning a long hate-hate relationship. Even to this day, Jack was one of the most pig-headed men you had the displeasure of knowing.

“Alright, I’ll get straight to the point. I’m sending the two of you on an undercover mission to retrieve sensitive, government information.” Chief Dooley explained. “The most opportune time to retrieve it will be during the American Gala in Washington D.C. hosted by a Mr. Mark Williams. The two of you will pose as husband and wife –“

“That’s a real funny joke, Chief.” Jack interrupted, looking shocked at the prospect of going undercover with you.

“Oh, please, Thompson. You’d be lucky if you could ever convince me to marry you.” you shot back.

“I’d rather go undercover as husband and wife with Krzeminski.”

Before you could move to smack Jack’s arm or throw another insult his way, Chief Dooley stood up, slamming his hands on his desk. “Enough! It’s like dealing with a couple of damn toddlers.” he scolded, instantly causing a wave of shame to wash over you and Jack. “Now, can the two of you act like the federal agents you are, or do I need to find two other agents?” he asked, staring both of you down.

“No, sir.” you mumbled, hearing a similar sentiment leave Jack’s lips.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Chief Dooley sat back down. “Now, as I was saying. The two of you are scheduled to leave in two days, and here are files with all you need to know on the target and your responsibilities.” he continued.

The moment you were dismissed, you stormed out of the Chief’s office and made your way back to your desk. Picking up the nearest piece of paperwork, you stared at the words for a moment before shoving it to the side, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“Everything all right?” Peggy asked, coming up behind you and setting a mug of coffee down on your desk.

“Chief Dooley is sending me on an undercover mission – with Thompson.” you explained, running your hands down your face.

Peggy looked amused by your so-called bad news and shook her head at your oblivious nature. “Perhaps, it will give you the opportunity to recognize your feelings for Agent Thompson.” she suggested casually.

“Feelings?” you nearly shrieked. “The only feeling I have for Agent Thompson is the feeling of dread every time I see him.” you argued.

“If you say so, dear.” Peggy placated as she walked away.

oOoOo

The entire plane ride to D.C. was filled with tense silence as you poured over the case file the entire time. The only noise that came from Jack was the tapping of his foot against the floor and his pen against the table.

“Do you have to do that?” you finally snapped, reaching forward to snatch the pen out of his hand.

Holding his up in mock surrender, Jack chuckled. “Woah, sweetheart, you might want to be a bit nicer considering we are married and all.” he teased.

“Listen,” you started, voice low and serious. “I know that you joke around and don’t always take everything seriously, but this mission is important to me. You have no idea how hard it is working in that office as a woman, and this mission is my chance to prove myself. I will not have it be ruined by the likes of you.”

For once, Jack had no quick remark to offer, instead he was simply stunned by your speech. Silently admitting defeat, Jack conceded to your wishes. “Alright, I’m sorry, y/l/n.”

You were slightly taken aback by how easy that had been. Perhaps you didn’t give Jack enough credit. “Thank you.” you responded, turning back to your files.

The rest of the flight followed in relative silence, Jack or you only speaking when you had questions or needed clarification from the files. It didn’t pass your mind the subtle looks Jack threw your way, but you ignored them, focused on the task at hand. If he had something to say, he could say it. However, the moment the plane landed, you were whisked away to your separate hotel rooms to prepare for the gala, watching Jack walk away.

oOoOo

It was only when Jack heard the clack of your heels against the marble stairs that he turned around and froze, watching your descent. The y/f/c dress you had donned flattered your figure in every sense, and Jack swore you were an angel in that moment. He suddenly felt aware of the way his breath had quickened, and the way his hands shook the tiniest bit from the nerves. So lost in his own mind, Jack didn’t even notice he had yet to take his eyes off of you.

“Is there something on me?” you asked, suddenly feeling very bashful from Jack’s gaze.

“No, no it’s just – uh – I mean,” Jack stuttered, running a hand through his perfectly gelled hair. “you clean up nice, y/l/n.”

“Not too bad yourself there either, Thompson.” you teased, flashing Jack a dazzling smile.

It was true that Jack looked absolutely dashing in his suit, making your knees just a bit week as you had walked down to meet him. His compliment sent a flutter through your chest, and you were brought back to Peggy’s comment about feelings. Perhaps, deep down, all the back-and-forth bickering had simply been a disguise for something else. But you couldn’t let yourself think about that now, not when you had a mission to complete.

Right as you were about to walk into the ballroom, Jack grabbed your wrist gently, stopping you in your tracks. Before you could question his action, he held up his hand and wiggled his finger, a metal band gleaming in the low light. “Now what kind of husband would I be if didn’t give you a ring?” he asked before pulling a small box out of his jacket pocket and producing a beautiful, sparkling engagement ring.

Carefully, Jack lifted your left hand and slid the cool metal over your ring finger until the diamond rested perfectly against your skin. It was difficult to fight the spark of energy when Jack grabbed your hand and the way he gently rubbed his thumb over the back of your hand.

“There.” he whispered, staring into your y/e/c eyes, a soft smile replacing that smirk that typically resided on his lips.

The two of you stood in the foyer for a moment, lost in the other’s gaze until other couples around you laughed and chatted on their way into the ballroom, breaking the spell. Ever the gentleman, Jack offered his arm, which you accepted, leading you both into the belly of the beast. Walking into said ballroom was breathtaking, the entire room being decorated from floor to ceiling with gold accents; however, you forced yourself to stay focused on the mission at hand.

A quick scan of the room showed you multiple entry/exit points, as well as a good estimate of the security posted throughout the room. Beside you, Jack was doing the same before his eyes widened slightly. Following his line of sight, you noticed your target for the evening, Mark Williams, surrounded by a group of people. While your first instinct was to go straight to the source, you knew that would raise alarms and potentially jeopardize the mission.

“Care for a dance?” Jack asked, having the same idea as you when he noticed Williams leading his wife to the dance floor.

Wordlessly, you allowed Jack to lead you towards the dance floor where he rested a warm, gentle hand on the small of your back while his other hand intertwined with your fingers. A small gasp left your lips from the proximity between you and Jack, and it was difficult to not become intoxicated by his cologne. For a moment, you allowed yourself to admire Jack’s strong jaw, piercing eyes, and the few hairs that had fallen out of place under the golden light the room provided.

The music began to pick up, and you let out a surprised cry of delight as Jack spun you around the floor, selling every bit of the perfectly happy couple. After one such spin, Jack brought you closer and whispered that you had caught the attention of Williams. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw the man staring in your direction.

“Trust me.” you told Jack under your breath before you took the lead and danced the two of you straight into your target. “Oh golly, I am so sorry, sir.” you apologized, feigning innocence. “I’m such a clutz, I don’t know why you bring me to these events, dear.” you said, aiming the second half of your sentence to Jack.

“Lord knows why, sweetie.” Jack responded, quickly catching onto your act. “Sorry again, sir. My wife said it herself – she can be a real clutz.”

Mark Williams flashed a quick smirk, looking your body up and down, seemingly sizing the two of you up. “No harm done, pretty lady. I’m Mark Williams. Mind making it up to me with a dance? That is, if your husband doesn’t mind.” he asked, though both you and Jack knew it was more a command.

“It’s the least I can do.” you giggled, accepting Williams’ hand, and letting him pull you away from Jack just like you thought he would.

Immediately, the band in the corner struck up a slower tune, and Williams placed a hand on your waist and began to awkwardly sway off beat. Unlike Jack’s soft, warm hands, this felt cold and unforgiving, and you forced yourself to swallow back the nausea.

“So, you must be used to all the glamor of these events, huh? Being a powerful man and whatnot.” you flirted, batting your eyelashes to help sell your act.

“You could say that, though they get pretty boring after a while. But having someone like you here helps to pass the time.” Williams said, slipping his hand further down your back.

Humming in response, you used the distraction to subtly reach your hand into Williams’ jacket pocket where you silently cheered when your hand touched a key – which you assumed unlocked his office. Carefully, you slipped it into your own pocket before squeezing William’s bicep with a smile to keep his suspicions down. Before he could slip his hand down any further, you pushed back gently and flashed an apologetic smile.

“Excuse me for a moment.” you purred, slipping away to the nearest hallway, keeping an eye out for Jack. Suddenly, an arm shot out and grabbed your wrist, pulling you further down the hallway. You nearly let out a shout of surprise before you saw that it was Jack.

“Are you done flirting or what?” he hissed, eyes narrowed, and chest puffed out.

Rolling your eyes, you flashed him the key you had slipped into the pocket of your dress. “Didn’t take you for the jealous type, Thompson.” you teased, scanning the doors for Williams’ office.

Once you reached the door, you quickly unlocked his office and ushered Jack in, quietly closing the door behind you and locking it. The office itself was spotless, leaving you no clue as to where the files could be hidden. Wordlessly, you and Jack split up, searching through every nook and cranny in order to complete your mission.

It wasn’t long before a soft “found it” came from Jack’s side of the room. Rushing over, you peered at the document in front of him to confirm that it was the correct document. Joy filled your body when you saw that your mission was a success.

Placing a hand on Jack’s bicep, you beamed at him. “Jack this is amazing, we did it!” you celebrated.

Jack let out a small chuckle, enjoying the way you were so excited. He glanced down at your hand on his arm, then back towards you where he locked his eyes with yours. Some unknown force took over you, causing the two of you to lean in towards each other, lips inching closer. Just as you could feel his warm breath on your face and almost touch his lips, loud rattling and banging came from the two, pulling the two of you apart instantly.

“Williams.” you both whispered, looking for a way out.

An open window caught your eye, and you ripped the file out of Jack’s hand as you pushed him towards said window. “Go, or neither of us are going to make it out of here.” you said through clenched teeth.

Jack hesitated a moment before he ran to climb out of the window, instantly turning around to offer you a helping hand. Right as you jumped out, the office door burst open, and Williams appeared with a half dozen bodyguards. He caught a flash of your dress and noticed the torn apart file cabinet, quickly putting two and two together.

“Shit! Get those two, dead or alive, and bring me back that file!” he shouted, pointing in the direction of your escape

It wasn’t long before bullets whizzed past your head as you and Jack ran through the garden towards the getaway car. Adrenaline pumped through your veins, minimizing the dull ache on the side of your arm you eventually felt. All you could think about was getting yourself and Jack out of there in one piece.

The moment the car came into view, you pushed yourself further and faster, sliding into the passenger seat as Jack started the engine and drove off with a squeal. There were still bullets that banged against the car, but once Jack stepped on the gas and swerved off the beaten road, you finally allowed yourself a breath of relief.

“Please tell me after all that, you still have the damn file.” Jack said, glancing to his side at your crumpled figure.

Slamming a, albeit slightly bent, manilla file folder onto the dashboard, you let out a dry chuckle. “You’re welcome. Maybe, for once, Thompson, you can just admit that I actually know what I’m – shit!” you suddenly groaned, clutching the side of your arm, and pulling away to reveal red, sticky fingers.

Jack looked over once more at your groan of pain and slammed on the breaks the moment he saw blood. “You got shot?” he all but shouted, turning your body so he could see where a bullet had lodged itself into the side of your arm.

“Thank you, Sherlock.” you breathed out, squeezing your eyes shut as Jack poked and prodded the area. “You’re gonna need to dig it out.” you told him after he continued to sit in silence.

“I know!” Jack snapped, before sighing upon seeing your reaction and approaching the situation softer. “I know, I know, I’m sorry.” he said before stepping out of the car and grabbing the first aid box from the trunk.

Jack quickly opened the passenger side of the door and knelt down so he could reach your wound. “This is gonna sting.” Jack whispered before he began to clean the wound with some of the alcohol from the kit, wincing along with you.

Jack felt his heart clench as you gripped his shoulder in pain, biting your lip. It became even worse when he started to remove the bullet from your arm, though there was nothing that he could do. There was silence between you and Jack, leaving Jack to his own devices. Seeing the blood on your hands and having to dig a bullet out of you made Jack feel as though he had been the one to be shot. In fact, he wished he had been to avoid you going through this pain.

“Got it.” Jack finally announced, throwing the bullet to the side and wrapping your arm in gauze.

“Thank you.” you said, letting out one more hiss of pain.

Instead of responding, Jack let his hand linger on your arm as he poured over every inch of your body, trying to determine if you had been injured anywhere else. There was such an intensity in his eyes that you couldn’t believe this was the same man you bickered with on an almost hourly basis. It had to be some kind of trick your eyes were playing on you from the pain.

“There you go, you’ll be alright.” Jack reassured you, tying the final strip of bandage around your arm, his hands lingered gently. “I gotta say, you really know how to give a fella a heart attack, y/n.”

“Oh please, I’m sure you would’ve forgotten all about me and reveled in all the attention you’d receive from the Chief.” you shot back, deflecting any emotions that could make you look weak and vulnerable.

Jack’s face morphed into one of hurt, and you felt guilty at the way his titled head and soft eyes made him look like a lost puppy. “Is that what you really think of me? That I wouldn’t care if you didn’t make it out of this mission?”

“You don’t like me, Jack. And I don’t like you. That’s how we’ve always operated, what else could I have possibly interpreted from that?” you argued, frustrated that he seemed to be dragging this conversation on.

“That’s not true, and you know it, y/n.” Jack countered, taking both of your hands in his grasp. “Both of us know deep down that this enemies act is self-defense, but I know that after tonight, I can’t pretend anymore. And I’m pretty sure you don’t want to either.”

For the second time that night, Jack cupped your cheeks in his hand, and leaned in. His lips hovered over yours for just a moment, giving you the chance to change your mind, but you launched yourself forward and finally kissed Jack Thompson. The kiss was sweet, but passionate, years of pent-up feelings bubbling over the surface. Jack pulled you close to his body while your fingers played with the hair and the nape of his neck. You had never allowed yourself to imagine this moment, but in that moment you knew you could get used to be kissed by Jack for the rest of your life.

Eventually, the two of you pulled away, foreheads leaning against each other, and your breath the only thing that could be heard in the night air. Jack’s thumb brushed against your cheek, and you leaned into his touch, now unable to reject his touch.

“Wow,” you breathed out. “maybe we should bottle our feelings like that again.” you teased.

“No, I don’t want to not be able to kiss you again.” Jack whispered, before he pulled you back in for another kiss, grateful you were safe in his arms, giving him the rest of his life to spend with you, and making Peggy five dollars richer.

oOoOo

tagging: @sarcasm-n-insomnia @bde-break-down-energy

[damselofblueroses]

Bambi, Chapter 1

You are my Bambi, girl, I am your candy, tell me what are you waiting for?

Summary: As an archaeologist who works on the Ancient Greece, you were on the verge of excavations’ session. While you have been preparing your team, you learned that your institute decided on your team has to work with another team as they wanted the outcome as a collaboration. The head of other team was your biggest rival, a scumbag in your eyes: Byun Baekhyun.

You two were supposed to work together for three months, in a Greek Island, Chios.

Could you manage to not kill Byun Baekhyun for three months?

Content: AU, heavily Greek mythology, enemies to friends.

Warnings: Well, the story contains NSFW/Smut, please minors do not continue.

Note: This story will be four or five chapters if I will not change my mind in the meantime. It is inspired by my major; however, I do not have a complete knowledge on archaeology, I am a historian. If I will make a technical mistake, please let me know. I am willing to receive any kind of feedback; you are more than welcomed to drop a message.

Chapter One: UN Village

June, Incheon Airport

Along the curves of the hill

Rolling, rolling, rolling hills

As we climb there’s a broken streetlight

When I see one, I turn off the lights under it

Baekhyun was nothing but ready for the excavation.

You were more than ready for the session.

Both of you, were nothing but two leaders who hated each other equally.

You were eyeing each other with saying no words since your teams came together in the airport. Before this particular moment of departure, you refused to meet with Byun Baekhyun, putting aside meeting with him, you refused even dropping an e-mail in order to let Sunkyungwan Team about Sejong Team. You were clear and strict as fuck, even though two teams had to work together for three months, you had zero intention to get accustomed with the other team leader.

The weather was sunny, nice and warm, however because of you and Baekhyun, your team members were feeling like they were trapped in a fucking blizzard during the coldest winter.

You were aware of your team members had positive opinions of that scoundrel, especially the girls, as you had your first-handed experiences because of your stupid classmates, Byun Baekhyun was very famous of his abilities to cast a spell on women. The problem was he was also famous as a serial dater, serial killer type of men.

A bastard, nothing more nothing less.

“Indy,” one of your team members, Minseok, called you. Although, calling you as Indy was also a habit of Minseok, it was also an obligation for the others, you insisted on calling you by your nickname or your name, instead of calling you as sunbae. You did not like the hierarchical titles. “Should we move into the control point?”

“Yeah, if you are ready.” you replied, grabbing your luggage and the rest.

“I guess we have to alert Sunkyungwan people since we will fly together.” Hyesun pointed out, your eyebrows knitted.

“I guess,” you recall her words. “They also have this information, so we do not have to alert anyone, we are not their babysitters.”

Hyesun’s cheeks were blushing after you kindly scolded her, but she was clever enough to hold her tongue. Your dislike towards Sunkyungwan was not a secret as you used every opportunity to show it. You led your team to the kiosks, counting the heads automatically. You had six here, you were going to have ten more when you arrive to Chios whose coming from all around European universities. With thirteen Sunkyungwan students, the excavation was going to shelter almost forty members. It was going to be massive, you had to admit. You never had more than twenty students in the field till now, but you were going to lead an extraordinary team as Junmyeon craved into your brain’s folds with his hammer of words.

You wished to be with Junmyeon right now, you were more tense than usual. Junmyeon could put you in more stable mood, however you even did not think to name him while the executives were asking your possible candidates. He would kill you merciless, you knew it very well.

Eh, at least you got Sehun, Junmyeon’s brother in your team, he had a lot of similarities with Junmyeon even though he could be noisier than anyone you know, however you accepted him as your dongsaeng, as his precious noona and role model, you also knew how to put him in an order. Then you had Minseok, the eternal field-partner of yours. He was older than you, although he was engaged in a Ph.D. programme in abroad, he willingly accepted your invitation. You had four seniors, Shinhye, Yixing, Jongdae and Hyesun.

To your dismay, two of the seniors who you really could want in your team, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were in that bastard’s team. You were of the fact that they were immensely close to each other, but you wished to have them in your team as their abilities were precious.

Especially Doh Kyungsoo.

You missed that fucking bastard who preferred to be with Baekhyun.

Life, you inhaled. It was not going exactly in the way you could ask.

“On your foot, soldiers.” you called your team around you. “Do you collect all the materials you will be in need of?”

“Yeah.” Jongdae cutely pointed to his tiniest bag. “I am ready to excavate.”

“Exactly you will need every tool you have.” Shinhye smacked her husband’s shoulder. Yeah, you had a married couple in your team, although you were a year younger them, you always regarded yourself as their big sister, if not a mother. “You are going to work too much, Dae. I have sleepless nights because of the burden on your shoulders.”

You could not help but burst into laughs after the look Jongdae gave to his wife. Those idiots, they were so lovely and instead of their endless scolding sessions, they were incredibly fond of each other.

Sometimes you wonder, how having your significant other by your side would be?

You slightly shook your head, quickly climbing out of this deep cliff.

“Let’s go!” you exclaimed, jumping to the air. “Sejong is ready for the session!”

Baekhyun was watching you with a disgusted expression.

“Move on, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol pushed his body to forward. “We will miss the flight, Goddamnit.”

“Give him couple of minutes.” Kyungsoo chuckled. “He is fucking the girl with his eyes, frankly, he is doing it unapologetically.”

“Which girl?” Chanyeol’s eyes widened. “Do you mean, that girl? You c-

“Of course, I am not.” Baekhyun interrupted Chanyeol, staring at Kyungsoo. “She can go and fuck herself.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo stood up, placing his book into the bag. “I guess, you are going to be one to fuck her, but maybe I am wrong.”

“In her dreams.” Baekhyun laughed. “If she can manage to dream something like this, but I do not think so. That little freak can put even the nuns into a shame.”

“She is beautiful to be honest.” Chanyeol said with no different intention but observing your features carefully. “Okey maybe not the hottest girl in the town, but she is pretty, and I heard she is very clever.”

“She is.” Kyungsoo approved. “But she kicked Baekhyun’s ass twice, so he cannot endure her presence.”

“She never,” Baekhyun grunted lowly. “Kick me or my proverbial parts!”

“Did someone talk about kicking some asses?” Jongin appeared out of nowhere. “I am in.”

“Shut up, Jongin.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Let’s pick the team.”

The smile on Kyungsoo’s face irritated Baekhyun, he wanted to erase that fucking grin so bad, punching his face but Baekhyun had to hold his manners as the team leader. If they would be in their flat, he could already beat the shit out of Kyungsoo, at least he would try.

Baekhyun hated the fact that Kyungsoo had the exact past with you and him. Three of you entered the department together, instead Kyungsoo went to another university to pursue his master, in the end he testified every moment between you and Baekhyun.

That’s why he was smiling since he learned you were going to be the other team leader.

Baekhyun was aware of the close relationship between you and Kyungsoo, one of his best friends.

Quickly Baekhyun led his team to the control point, close to your team. He was avoiding from this step, however as the leader, presenting his fucking team to your team was his responsibility. When they arrived, he took a deep breath.

“Good morning to all.” his blood started to boil when you turned to him with a displeased face expression. Your eyebrows were knitted, your fucking lips formed as a thick line, your dislike was palpable and Baekhyun knew his own face was mirroring your feelings. “I hope you are fine, could you let me present my team to you?”

Baekhyun wanted nothing but cut the shit off.

“Good morning.” you answered between your teeth. Your voice sounded extremely creepy. “Yeah, go for it.”

You do not make a favour to me, bloody woman, Baekhyun thought but he put all his efforts to control his words.

“My name is Byun Baekhyun, I am going to lead Sunkyungwan Team this year.” he looked at your team members, quickly memorized their faces. “I really look forward to work with you, I wish a good session for us. They are my members, Park Chanyeol, Doh Kyungsoo, Kim Jongin, Kim Danbi, Lee Taemin, Lee Donghae, Kim Jonghyun, Kim Kibum, Lee Seungjo, Kang Seulgi, Im Yoona, Kim Taeyeon and Kwon Yuri.”

“You are like a troop, huh?” one of your girls smiled after Baekhyun finished his presentation.

“More or less.” Baekhyun smiled back to her. What a surprise to him was the transformation of your face. You warmly smiled to the members and bowed to each of them.

Baekhyun raised his left eyebrow, but he could not avert his eyes from your smiling face.

It was pleasant like a spring day and when you smile your eyes were shining.

“Thank you.” he heard your voice. “My team is not big as yours, Park Shinhye, Kim Jongdae, Zhang Yixing, Oh Sehun, Kim Minseok and Song Hyesun.”

“You forget yourself.” Minseok slapped his forehead and rolled his eyes. “Indy is going to lead Sejong Team as she has been leading us for the last two years, you can put your faith on her, she is the greatest.”

“Indy?” Jongin repeated your nickname with a surprised face. “Are you foreigner?”

“Do I look like?” you laughed and prevented yourself from flinching his forehead. He was such a cute kid. “That’s how my team call me.”

“Ah.” Jongin blushed and you could not control yourself anymore.

“But if you want, you can also call me as Indy.” you grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Everything must be equal for the teams since we are going to live together during a whole summer.”

“I would like to.” Jongin bowed to you.

“So do we need to add sunbae when we call you?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Have you ever called me as a sunbae, Doh Kyungsoo?” you coldly replied. “Did Sunkyungwan change your behaviours?”

“Gardens of roses turn to garths of thorns in a second.” Kyungsoo murmured but he was smiling to you, then he opened his arms, catching you off guard because you knew that Kyungsoo was not a huge fan of hugs. “Will you salute me as a good friend, or will I start calling you as sunbae?”

“Shut the fuck up, Doh.” you inhaled, but actually you were happy to see your still-working-on friendship. You moved to hug him, he held you tightly and lifted you to the air, then turned around himself, made you laugh like a 5-year-old girl.

Baekhyun did not like what was happening before his eyes. Kyungsoo had to be with Baekhyun, not hugging you for his fucking dear life, or lifting and turning you around like you were very dear to him. He hated sharing his friends with you, he already lost Junmyeon, he wanted to keep Kyungsoo and Chanyeol to himself. You should be fucking away from them, they were Baekhyun’s and only Baekhyun’s friends.

And there was another fragile issue that Baekhyun had been keeping in the deepest point of his heart and mind, like the palace of Nyx in the darkest part of Tartarus. Extremely delicate, horrendous, and even atrocious.

Baekhyun was aware of a strange presence was lying down beneath his hatred, dislike and continuous loathe towards you, there was a layer of curiosity, something could feed different layers and causing an earthquake in his life. Baekhyun knew that you were his biggest rival, but you became his rival by your talents and intelligence. He knew this and this piece of realization doubled his hate towards you.

The funny part was the things he did not realize. Baekhyun was full of confidence, he was capable of performing even miracles, however he never perceive the fact that you were also a miracle.

“So, what we are going to do?” Chanyeol asked to everyone with a huge, happy smile. Baekhyun fended himself off moaning, happy virus Chanyeol already sensed the chance of levitating the mood between the teams and playing along with it. “Are we boarding?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” one of your boys, Sehun, came close to Chanyeol. Baekhyun and you immediately glared them, noticing the chemistry between these two. Both of you wished to keep the teams apart from each other in order to reduce the obliged interactions between the leaders, but it seemed not possible even from the beginning. Baekhyun was cursing between his lips, you were swearing at the executive board in your mind.

“Indy,” Shinhye whispered to you. “Are you okey? You look like wanting to kill one of us.”

“Not you.” you answered without thinking, then registered to your words. “Ignore me, Shinhye, I am a little bit tense right now.”

“We got your back.” she blinked at you and held Jongdae’s hand. “Let’s start the adventure!”

What an adventure, you thought but silently joined them. Kyungsoo also was walking next to you.

“Why the heck you went to Sunkyungwan?” you spilled the bean. “I always believed you would stay in Sejong.”

“Yeah, that was my intention.” Kyungsoo was plain as always. “However, Sunkyungwan gives me more opportunities to secure my career, Indy.”

“I know.” you had to admit. Sejong was not generous as Sunkyungwan. “Sorry for my selfish words.”

“No worries.” he beamed. “It happens all the time, but I am really happy to work with you again.”

“Old but gold days, huh?”

“Well, it was not purely gold,” Kyungsoo followed the flows and ebbs. “Do you remember when we were almost expelled from the university?”

“Is there a way to forget those days?” you immediately took a look on Baekhyun. It was his fault, obviously. “We were shitting in our pants instead of the one who put us in that situation.”

“Come on,” Kyungsoo chuckled. “It was not only his fault, Indy, our hands were also crimson red.”

“Let me recall the memory, Doh,” you pinched his hand, he playfully pushed your fingers. “Excuse me if I am wrong, however that scumbag was the one who challenged you to confiscate the coin, because of your involvement into the incident, I had no choice but dragging your ass out of shit.”

“They caught two of us in the crime field.” Kyungsoo burst into laughs. “Professor Lee went ballistic and scolded us like we just killed a person cold heartedly.”

“And you could not see the reason behind it?” You were cutting Kyungsoo’s body with your eyes. “If someone tries to steal a coin from the excavation house during the session, I will kill them for sure. We were so lucky, the one who caught us was Professor Lee.”

“I heard you are strictest when it comes to excavation.” Kyungsoo assured you. “But try to not kill us.”

“The only one I am going to take down,” you shivered with the memory, Kyungsoo was already regretful to remind it to you. Well, maybe not so much because he wanted you and Baekhyun to realize the potential relationship you could have, and the easiest way in order to put you two in touch was making you angry. “That bastard if he will behave like the old days. We are not children anymore.”

“Have you ever been a kid?”

“Fuck off, Kyungsoo.”

“You did not change even a bit, Indy.” Kyungsoo made his statement. Obviously, you were going to keep this to yourself, taking his silent approval made you were more than happy. “You are still a pain in the ass.”

“And you are still a good boy.” you grinned, watching his lips formed around silent laughs. “Such a cute puppy for me, let me see your wagging tail.”

“I am sorry to interrupt your flirting session,” Kyungsoo turned to Baekhyun’s deadpanned face. “However, we have to move.”

“When you come across to a pretty girl,” Kyungsoo did not miss the chance of returning the favour. “You have to flirt with her. Wasn’t it your advice?”

“Yeah.” Baekhyun looked at you, then turned to Kyungsoo.

You knew what was going to happen.

“He said pretty girls,” you tucked the words in Baekhyun’s mouth before he could open his fucking damn mouth. “To my dismay, I have never been pretty to correspond the standards of Byun Baekhyun the Magnificent. I am crying for the lack of beauty almost every night, I mean living without Byun Baekhyun’s interests… Such a misery.”

Kyungsoo bit his lower lip in order to hold his laugh, Baekhyun’s fists were clenching but you did not stop there.

"Ah I almost forget to ask for the name of that little village, Baekhyun.” you directly looked at his eyes since ages. “Where the girl you desperately wanted to bless with your attention left you? UN Village?”

You immediately spin on your tiptoes, then slipped towards to Sehun, leaving two of them behind of you, refusing to look at back. In the meantime, Baekhyun was throwing daggers to your back, grinding his teeth, his jaw was extremely tensed. Before Kyungsoo could stop him, he swiftly came to your side, you felt his breath on your neck.

You shivered.

You fucking shivered and Baekhyun noticed that.

“You are playing with the fire, as always.” he whispered to your ear before someone could notice what he was doing. “Did you forget who was burning with fire, baby girl?”

He quickly disappeared and started to make such a fuss in order to gather his team members around himself. You were frozen, after years, you were frozen, you missed the little smile on the corner of Baekhyun’s mouth.

You were on the verge of screaming because of the frustration you had felt. You forced yourself to proceed, walked into the plane, helped your team in order to set their belongings and place into their seats, then you retreated your own seat. It was comfortable and you could easily snatch a blanket. Your wish became true, even quicker than you expected because Sehun, your wonderful Sehun, already brought a soft blanket for you. You smiled at him, actually forgiving him for building bonds with Chanyeol since they changed their seats in order to sit next to each other and weaved your legs around the fabric.

Your brain was in autopilot, you were lost in the horrible memories. You did not want to recall them, you buried them into the cemetery of your memory. You wished nothing but never remember that day.

The day in that village.

Baekhyun was mad at himself.

His face was clouded, for the first time he was silent and sitting on the farthest seat in the plane. He really wanted to be alone, and since being vocal about his feeling was so natural for him, he told his need to the team. They willingly let him to do what he wanted, as a result, he was looking out of window, hell if a person could see something out of a plane’s window, and he was cursing himself.

He knew it was going to be a chess play. Between you and him.

It has been always like the chess.

There was a bond between you and Baekhyun, even thought you two always refused it, you also were aware of that bond. You equally hated each other and if there was a thing which could make you happier than seeing each other’s downfalls, that was the opportunity of being the one who digs the other’s grave by their hands.

He was sure on he was going to be the one who sets your body on fire, then finishes you. He was sure on he was going to be the victor, the one and only champion.

When he kills you, erases your name for all eternity, when he condemns you with demnatio memoriae, he will calmly breathe again.

You were a pain in the ass, even when you were not around of Baekhyun, you had a place in his mind since that fucking day he met you. Your presence was like a tree, how much he could try, he could neither find your roots in his mind nor cut them all.

You were his enemy; he was going to treat you as you deserved.

There would be no turning back.

But…

He was mad at himself.

He made a wrong move while he was trying to disturb you, shake your cage in order to give you a lesson.

He also remembered.

The day in that fucking village.

[shyficwriter]

Sick

Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic | Reader x Guardians (With Yondu & Kraglin)

Summary: You are quite sick, and unfortunately for everyone else, you won't stay in bed. Might have something to do with being delirious with fever, or maybe you're just a terrible patient. Who's to say?

Authors note: Content warning for hallucinated gore (I think? maybe horror is a better description? Let me know), and mentions of blood, and of course mentions of all the nastiness that comes with a stomach sickness (Don't worry, I kept it clean, didn't want to gross myself out lol) The characters are safe, story has a happy ending.

Word Count: 7,120

Damn, you felt like shit.

It was the first morning in forever where you could remember not actually wanting to get out of bed. Everything was sore, and damn it was just so cold. Why was it cold? Peter usually kept the ship decently warm?

You sighed and rolled out of bed, pausing momentarily when the room began to spin and your stomach tightened in nausea. Damn. That mission the other day must have taken more out of you than you thought. You didn't think you'd still be this sore and tired two days later. This was worse than yesterday, and you weren't exactly expecting the nausea, but at least it had passed.

Oh well. Nothing you can really do about it. Besides, you had more pressing matters, like figuring out why it was so damn cold. You were shaking and had to fight your teeth from chattering. Better put on a sweater.

After washing up and getting ready you headed out of your room to ask Peter why it was so cold, maybe check on the boiler yourself if he hadn't. You found him with Gamora and Kraglin on the flight deck discussing the best course to Berhert, where you guys were planning to dock for a few days and maybe chase down a few leads for new jobs.

"Why is it so freaking cold in here?" you ask. "Did the boiler break down or something?"

They turned to look at you and it was then you realized they were in their regular clothes, not even wearing jackets to keep them warm. Peter was even wearing short sleeves. "I feel fine?" he said, looking to Gamora. "Are you cold?"

She shook her head, adding that if anything, she thought Peter kept it a little too warm on the ship.

You raised an eyebrow, wondering how they could possibly be warm when you were freezing. You shook your head gently. "Guess it's just me then," you grumble.

"You ok? Ya look a little pale there?" Kraglin asked after noticing you were at least a shade or two lighter than normal and how the skin around your eyes wasn't normally that dark.

"I'm fine, Kraglin," you say, trying not to sound like too much of an asshole despite being cranky that you were so cold and achy.

Peter looked at you suspiciously a moment before saying, "Hey, come here a sec."

"Why?" you ask, just as suspiciously.

"Just come here."

You roll your eyes as you approach. "Fine." Once you stopped a few feet from him you asked, "What?"

He raised his hand out toward your forehead, and in your surprise you leaned away quick, instantly regretting it as the room began to spin again.

You gathered yourself somewhat quickly and noticed his hand coming back. You smacked it away. "What are you doing??" you asked through squinty eyes.

"I'm trying to feel your temperature, dummy. Quit moving!" he responded, irritated when you dodged him once again.

"What am I? A child? I don't need you to feel my temperature, mom." you sassed, taking a few steps backward out of the way. "I'm fine." you say irritably.

"Well you like shit."

You almost laughed in surprise at his bluntness as you leaned back with a mildly offended expression. "Well fuck you too, dickweed. You aren't exactly a looker yourself." You didn't really think he was ugly, you were just being mean, but it made Kraglin laugh anyway.

Peter shot him a look before turning back to you and saying, "I didn't mean it like that. I just think you should probably go back to bed if you aren't feeling well."

"First off, I have shit to do, I'm not going back to bed. Secondly, I never said I wasn't feeling well, I just said I was cold," you say bitterly, hugging your arms close to your chest as another chill hit you.

"Then why are you sweating?" Peter asked.

You looked at him a moment, confused, before bringing your own hand up to your forehead. Sure enough, you were starting to sweat a little around your hairline. You wiped your hand on your sweater as you gave him a bitter look before turning and walking away.

"Go back to bed!" Peter called after you.

You flipped him the bird, not turning around as you continued out of the room. "You don't tell me what to do. You ain't my mother."

Peter narrowed his eyes as you walked away. "Yeah... well... Good!"

Gamora rolled her eyes at both yours and Peter's immaturity and returned the conversation to the navigation.

***

You made you way down to the kitchen, thinking maybe you'd make some toast. Your stomach felt a bit crampy now, and you thought toast might be light enough to soothe it before you got started on your chores. Maybe some milk. Milk was nice and gentle, right?

Rocket and Groot were already in the kitchen eating some cereal when you got there. You nodded toward them in greeting as you put down some bread in the toaster. You pulled down a glass and went to open the fridge to pour yourself some milk while you waited when Rocket spoke up.

"Oh hey, we're out of milk, if that's what you're after."

You sighed. "Juice will have to do then," you say, grabbing the bottle and pouring yourself a glass of the light green liquid. You leaned against the counter and sipped at it as Rocket made conversation.

"You said you're going to blow out the dryer line today, right?"

"Yeah."

"About how long are you gonna be? I need to wash a load and I was hoping to get it started before I got to work fixing Groot's game-thing so it might be done by the time I finished."

"Shouldn't be too long. Should only take abo-"

Just then the toaster popped, making you jump a mile, and Rocket and Groot laugh at your reaction.

"Oh man, I don't get why you Terrans are so scared of that! Haha!"

You only glare at him before removing your toast and turning your attention to buttering it rather than engage about how you were definitely not scared of a toaster like you would have any other time. You just didn't feel like it today.

"I am Groot?"

"Yeah, you ok? Normally you yell back when I tease you about the toaster. You sick or something?"

You were finished buttering your toast so you turned to give him an unimpressed look. "What? If I don't yell at you, you think I must be sick?"

Rocket shrugged, "I mean, yeah?" He collected his and Groot's now empty bowls and hopped over to put them in the sink. "You've always yelled something back, what else I'm I supposed to think?" He turned back towards you and looked you over. "And are you supposed to look that... dead?"

You narrowed your eyes. "You supposed to be that bald?"

"What? I'm literally covered in fur." Rocket said, looking at you like he thought you were stupid.

"You won't be if I shave you, you little shit."

"I am Groot."

"I'm not sure if cranky's the word I'd use right now, buddy." Rocket said, throwing you a sideways glance. "Come on, let's go see if Drax wants to play cards or something." With that the pair left the room, leaving you alone to nibble at your toast and sip at your juice in peace.

It didn't exactly help the cramping in your stomach though, you realized as you placed your glass in the sink. You took a deep breath as another chill hit you and you rested over the sink a bit to get your bearings, taking a few more deep breaths hoping it would ease the cramping in your stomach.

Once you felt steady enough you left the kitchen, intent to get started on today's tasks, first being the dryer line, then changing the various air filters about the ship. You'd probably also get around to checking all the smoke detectors before lunch, but for now you just needed to get down to the laundry room to get started.

God, it was so cold.

You made your way down the hall from the kitchen and turned off towards the laundry room when you were startled by Yondu. He had been coming up the other hallway in the direction you were now headed and decided to greet you with a clap on the back and a loud, "Hey, squirt! What'cha doing?"

He always called you squirt, pipsqueak, munchkin, just because he knew it annoyed you to be called childish nicknames. To be fair, he did still call Peter, a fully grown man, 'boy,' as well as also sometimes calling him 'squirt,' and Gamora 'girl,' so at least you knew it wasn't personal.

The startle, as well as the impact of his hand meeting your shoulder sent you forward. You grabbed hold of the wall and tried to steady yourself as the hall spun around you.

"Whoa, ya alright there?" Yondu asked, not expecting to have thrown you so off balance.

You look up at him weakly and nod, breathing deeply through your nose as you held a hand to your stomach, still bent over slightly from where you had caught yourself. You thought you were going to be sick, but you were doing your damnedest to keep it together. "Yeah." you swallowed, trying to fight the slight tremors beginning to shake you. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Ya don't look it. I think you need to take your ass back to bed."

You glare at him. "I'm fine. I just need a sec." As if your body were trying to betray you, another chill shot through your spine, making you shake as a strong cramp made you fold into yourself with a, "Ow, fuck!"

Shit. You knew what was coming and there was nothing you could do to stop it. You quickly turned away from Yondu and vomited on the floor with such force that it felt like something had ripped your stomach open and you fought not to whimper at the pain. You heard him make a disgusted noise, and you didn't blame him.

Teeth chattering and dizzy, you looked at the mess and said, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I'll clean that up." Your vision swam as you shook, one hand gripping at the wall, the other still wrapped about your middle.

Before Yondu could think to respond you had dropped to your knees, thankfully missing the puddle of sick on the floor, and vomited again.

You couldn't stop shaking, and resigned into leaning into the wall, eyes closed as you turned your forehead to rest against the cold metal. Your breath came in shudders as you heard Yondu cry out, "Shit! Quill!" He sounded urgent, but you didn't have time to think about that, you were too busy shaking and trying not to vomit again.

You thought you heard Rocket's voice from up the hall say, "See! I knew you were sick!" and you briefly opened your eyes to look up and make out the little blurry figure approaching before closing them again, weakly throwing him the bird as you focused on keeping it together, both arms now clutching your stomach as you grimaced in pain. It would be over soon. You just needed to gather yourself so you could clean up the mess you made and then you could get on with your day. God your stomach hurt...

You heard Yondu call out for Peter a second time, more urgently than the first and adding, "Kraglin! Somebody! Get down here!" when you lost your battle against your stomach and vomited for a third time. This time Rocket's cries for Peter joined him. You wondered why they were freaking out and calling for Peter when you felt Yondu grab your shoulders to stop you from falling forwards, causing your eyes to pop open allowing you to see your puddle of sick was now red, though you couldn't remember eating anything red... Was the juice you drank red? No, it was green... "Well that's not ideal..." you slurred out, realizing that it probably definitely shouldn't be red, but couldn't quite get a grasp on exactly why you knew it shouldn't be.

The last thing you heard was the sounds of boots thundering down the hallway, getting closer as they mingled with the noises of Yondu and Rocket's shouting before everything went dark.

***

You woke up in your bed laying on top of your sheets. You still didn't feel great, your stomach still felt crampy and also now burned a bit, but it was better than the sharp pain of before and at least you didn't really feel nauseous anymore.

It was still really cold though. You sat up and your head swam. You looked down to see you were still in your sweater and contemplated putting another one on before deciding against it. You were going to be up moving around doing your chores in a second, you'd likely warm up then.

You gingerly pulled yourself out of bed, thinking you might go get some water first, when you looked over at your nightstand for the time and found that someone had already left you a glass. How kind. You sipped at the water and silently grumbled when you realized you had been asleep for nearly two hours.

Wait... why were you in bed again? You sort of remembered getting sick. Peter probably made you lay down a bit. He was a mother hen like that.

No matter, you were up now. Time to get to work.

You left your room and had made it about 20 feet before Gamora spotted you and ordered you back to bed. You made out her two stern faces staring at you... wait two? You thought she only had one of those?

"Why?" you ask, wondering if Peter's mother-hening had rubbed off on her. Way you saw it, you only threw up, it wasn't the end of the world.

"Because you're sick, that's why!" Gamora replied, sounding exasperated.

"I'm fine." you assured, making a face a her. "You worry too much, chicken. The sky's still there." Hmm... you might have gotten that phrase wrong, or did you? You couldn't quite remember. Oh well.

"Bed. Now." she ordered. You blinked and suddenly she once again only had one face. One very cross looking face. Oh well. You still knew better than to argue with her, regardless of how many faces she chose to wear today, so begrudgingly you turned around and went back to your room with a dramatic sigh.

When enough time passed that you were certain she'd be gone, you attempted your escape again. This time you got about halfway to the laundry when you spotted little Groot in the hallway. He looked at you contemplatively and said, "I am Groot?" which you took to mean he was probably asking if you were supposed to be up and out of bed. Leave it to Peter to tell the whole damn ship.

You gave the little guy your best smile and made a shushing gesture with your finger to your lips. "Our secret, right buddy?"

He smiled and ran off.

Taking that as an agreement to silence you went on your way only to not make it much further before hearing someone tell you to "Stop right there!" You turned to find Gamora and Peter looking very disapproving while Rocket stood there looking smug with little Groot sat on his shoulder. Knowing you were defeated, your shoulders fell as you said, "I know, I know. 'Back to bed.'" As you made your way past them you looked down at the little twig and muttered, "Traitor." only to be met with him sticking his little tongue out at you playfully.

Your third attempt was much the same, only this time it was Mantis who caught you and she wasn't quiet about it at all when she went running off yelling to Yondu that you were out of bed again, much to your chagrin as it prompted him to come out of a nearby room. He didn't even have to say anything. He just stared you down, and you held up your hands in defeat and said "Ok! Ok! I'm going!" before scurrying the best you could back to your room.

You didn't even get out of your room on your fourth attempt, having opened the door to find Drax had been walking by at just that moment. He stopped and narrowed his eyes at you with arms crossed, daring you to try it. You looked at him awkwardly a moment before sighing and just closing the door. Maybe you'd take a nap and wait them out. You were a little sleepy...

On your fifth attempt you got nearly to the doors of the laundry when you heard someone shout, "Where do you think you're going?! Get back to bed!"

You turned around irritably to see it was Peter and Kraglin now, looking fairly cross. Seriously!? Why can't they just let you be!

You crossed your arms. "I have to blow out the dryer line, asshat. Where are you going?" you sassed.

Kraglin leaned to Peter and muttered something you couldn't quite make out. Something about the flight hangar? Oh well, probably wasn't important.

Peter looked at you like you were a misbehaving child. "I'm going to take you back to bed, that where I'm going."

You rolled your eyes and waved him off this time, turning your back on him to continue on your quest.

"Hey!" he scolded, effortlessly catching up with you and grabbing your arm to stop you. "I'm not kidding, you need to go back to bed." He put a hand to your forehead, this time succeeding since he had you by the arm and you couldn't get away. "You're burning up. Come on, back to bed." he repeated.

"Screw off." you say weakly, the sudden motion of being grabbed making you dizzy.

"See this is what I mean. You need to rest." Peter's tone was slightly more gentle now, but it didn't make you any less cranky. "Do you really think you're gonna puke blood and then just be allowed to walk about like everything's fine? You're crazy. You need to stay in bed until a doctor can see you!"

Huh. So that hadn't been a dream... Maybe it was the fever talking, but you didn't really care too much. You didn't want or need to see a doctor. You tried to reason with him.

"If I don't blow the lint out of the line it could catch fire. You want that, Star-Brat?" Ok, so you were still a bit cranky, probably could have said that nicer. Oh well. You tried to pry his hand away but failed, sighing in frustration.

"Already did it." Kraglin lied, throwing a hinting look to Peter.

Taking the cue Peter nodded. "Uh- Yeah, he got it done while you were sleeping.'"

"See?" Kraglin said, "Now you got nothing to worry about and you can just get some rest."

You jerked your arm and this time succeeded in freeing yourself, but not without feeling faint. "Nice try." you say, stumbling back a little. "There's still other stuff I needed to get done."

Peter grabbed your arm again, afraid you might fall backward if he didn't, and this time wasted no time marching you in the direction of your room. "And it can all wait until tomorrow. Right now you rest. This is the last time we're gonna tell you."

You looked at him confused. Last time? Had there been others? Oh right... you thought remembered him and Gamora yelling at you once before... oh and Yondu... you had forgotten Yondu. Bunch of mother hens...

Too weak to free yourself again you settled for complaining that you were fine, and for Peter to just let you go about your business. It all went on deaf ears.

On the way back to your room the three of you passed by Yondu, who laughed and said, "Told ya the squirt would try and escape again, didn't I? Just as stubborn as the two of you boys."

Peter chuckled, looking to the blue man and saying, "Remember that time we had to literally tie Kraglin to the bed when he caught the Kree flu and wouldn't stay in the Med Bay?"

Kraglin rolled his eyes and Yondu laughed, looking at you. "Now there's an idea!"

You shot him a look. "If you tie me down I swear I'll gut all of you," you say crankily.

"Stay in bed then and we won't have a problem," Yondu grinned, adding, "Don't make us have to knock you out."

You glared at him again but finally allowed Peter to lead you back to your room with minimal grumbling.

Once in your room he threw back your covers and ordered you to get into bed or else he and Kraglin would tie you to it. Afraid they might actually follow through with the threat, you obeyed, grumbling about how they were treating you like a child.

"Quit acting like one and we won't have to," Kraglin quipped, pointing to the water glass on your table and stating how you needed to keep your fluids up and that it better be gone by the time one of them came back to check on you.

You just turned on your side away from them and grumbled out a sleepy, "Yeah, yeah. Leave me alone."

Satisfied that you'd finally stay put the two men left the room. Once Peter closed the door behind them Kraglin said, "I guess I better actually go clean that dryer line now, huh?"

Peter chuckled. "Yeah, maybe."

***

Peter met up with Gamora on the flight deck. "How soon until the Doc can get here?"

As soon as he, Gamora, and Kraglin had all ran down from the flight deck to see what Yondu and Rocket were yelling about and found you passed out in Yondu's arms in front of a puddle of your own all-too-bloody sick they immediately sent Kraglin back up to call one of Berhert's doctors to try and get one to meet them at the ship, knowing they were still about three days out from even thinking about landing.

"Still about a day out," Gamora answered.

"I'm getting nervous," Peter admitted since it was just he and Gamora alone now. He told her how you were you were practically burning to the touch when he was dragging you back to your room for the final time, and even though you put on a good act with the banter, you couldn't hide from him the fact that you couldn't stop shivering or the way you looked like death warmed over.

He also told her what Kraglin had said, how they thought the fever was getting to you. When they found you last you were making your way towards the flight hangar, but you thought you were headed towards the laundry. They were on opposite ends of the ship.

Gamora validated his concerns, taking his hand to comfort him before saying, "Don't worry, the doctor will get here in time."

Peter sighed and nodded.

If- No. When you got better, Peter was going to kick your ass for making him worry.

***

You woke up again a few hours later feeling thirsty and achy. You looked over to see you still had about a sip of water left and drank it. Placing the glass back on the nightstand you stared at the ceiling for a moment before realizing you also needed to pee. Ugh. Inconvenient. If you couldn't work or do anything else you'd at least rather be sleeping. Actually, now that you thought about it, right now you didn't even want to work anymore. You just wanted sleep.

You knew surely you wouldn't get yelled at for being out of bed for getting up to use the toilet, so you sat up with the intent to roll out of bed and walk across the hall to do your business. Maybe you'd get some more water on the way as well.

No sooner had you sat up did you see it in the corner. Your stomach flipped and you rubbed your eyes, but it was still there. With horror in your eyes and your urge to use the toilet completely forgotten, you stared at the horrifying sight, unable to make a sound.

In the corner of the room was a humanoid figure, looking like it had been skinned alive. It was eyeless, only dark oozing holes remained where its eyes should have been, same with its nose. It was twitching grotesquely, blood and yellow ooze sloughing off its body as it did so, puddling about the floor at its feet. It tilted its head at you with a wicked toothy grin of sharp yellow teeth.

You pressed yourself against the headboard, shaking like mad, only a tiny squeak able to leave your throat. Sweat tickled down your forehead but you didn't dare move to wipe it away.

You sat like this for what felt like an eternity but was likely only a few moments before you heard the door to your room open and heard Yondu's voice.

"Me and Rat just came to make sure ya didn't run away again." He chuckled, before noticing the state of you and his tone changed. "What's the matter?"

You didn't look at him, didn't say anything, not wanting to take your eyes off the monster or do anything that might spur it into motion, and pointed a trembling hand at it.

Yondu looked where you were pointing. There was nothing there.

He looked down at a confused Rocket and just muttered, "Shit," realizing that you were likely hallucinating from the fever. He spoke to you softly, easing himself into the room so as to not make any sudden movements, "Listen here now, there's nothing there. It's alright."

You swallowed hearing his words. There was nothing there. There was nothing there. It couldn't hurt you. It couldn't-

It took a step towards you.

"Please," you managed to get out, jerking back into the headboard, trembling. You silently begged that you would fall asleep, or wake up, anything to make the nightmare before you go away.

Yondu's eyes widened and he held up his hands as he took another gentle step toward you despite how you still hadn't looked his way. "It's alright, you're ok, whatever it is- it's not real."

"Please," you say again, pleadingly, "Please knock me out."

Yondu looked at you in confusion. "What?"

"Please... Please. Knock me out. Sedate me- I don't care." You begged. You believed his voice when it said the creature wasn't real, or at very least you wanted to believe it very badly. However, believing it wasn't real didn't change the fact that you could still see it. Tears started to leak from your eyes. "Please make it stop."

Seeing you beg like that tore at something in Yondu's heart. You guys all did scary shit all the time. Came with the job of being part of the "Guardians of the Galaxy." Everyone had seen each other scared at some point, but this was different.

He spoke softly. "Ok, ok." He looked at Rocket for assistance. When he had threatened to knock you out earlier it had only been a joke. Other than sucker-punching you, which he had no intention of doing, he didn't actually have anything he could give you that would knock you out.

Rocket spoke up, uncharacteristically softly, trying to be helpful. "Look, it's ok, we're here, you're safe." He made to jump up on the bed before Yondu could stop him.

A reddish oozing blob similar to the creature in the corner but with reddish eyes jumped up by your feet and you screamed.

Yondu's scolding cry to Rocket of "Dammit, boy! No!" was drowned out by your cry as you kicked and sent the horrible thing flying to the end of your bed. It just managed to keep from falling to the floor by sinking its claws into the blanket, and it stood back up with a shake. You shrieked as you threw your empty water glass right at the creatures head only for it to catch it and toss it aside on the bed.

Then you felt strong hands grab your wrists. You heard Yondu's voice calling your name, saying it was alright, that everything was ok, but it wasn't Yondu. It was the creature from the corner.

"I don't think that's helping!" Rocket said, hopping off the bed to narrowly avoid being kicked again.

"Well jumpin' up on the bed wasn't yer brightest idea either, boy!" Yondu scolded back. You were sliding down the headboard, trying to get away from him, so he switched tactics. He traded gripping your wrists in favor of wrapping his arms around you, effectively pining your arms with your wrists against your chest in a hug so he could rock you gently saying, "Shh, it's alright, you're safe. It's alright. Shh."

Tears ran down your face as the creature wrapped itself around you. You turned your face away, kicking and struggling to break free as you cried softly, "No no no! Please no!"

Yondu continued to rock you, hoping you'd snap out of it. After a couple more shushes and assurances that you were safe, that weren't quite working, he threw a sideways glance at Rocket. "This doesn't leave this room, got it?"

Rocket cheekily replied, "Me? Tell everyone you're a giant softie? Never!"

Yondu glared at him and was about to say something snarky in return when he heard Mantis from the doorway.

She peeked in nervously. "Is everything ok? I was walking by and I heard screaming."

Rocket got an idea. Drax had told him how Mantis had put Ego, an entire living planet, to sleep. Surely a mere Terran should be no problem. "Mantis come here, we need your help."

Mantis quickly but shyly entered your room. Seeing the state of you in Yondu's arms she worriedly asked the pair if you were ok.

"Not exactly." Rocket answered honestly, telling Mantis how the fever put you in a bad way, and they now needed her help to put you to sleep so you'd feel better.

"Think you can do that for us, Bug?" Yondu asked, still holding you tightly as you cried and struggled to get away, his eyes nearly pleading.

Mantis nodded.

You felt the creature's arms wrap tighter and you kicked fruitlessly. You had kept your eyes shut tightly, but upon feeling that you almost had an arm free you allowed them to open.

You regretted it.

There was now also a shorter monster, just like the one from the corner that had you now in its clutches. Dark horns protruded from its forehead and it opened its glistening maw as it reached a bloodied, oozing hand toward your face.

You threw back your head in a weak, terrified, cry of anguish, struggling against the hold of the other monster as you kicked and sobbed a desperate, "Please no! Don't!" before once again darkness enveloped you.

Your struggling ceased and Yondu laid you down to rest on your pillow, brushing some sweaty hair back from your eyes before standing up.

"Jeez," Rocket said, shaking his head and wondering aloud what you had seen that made you do "that."

Yondu looked down to see that Rocket wasn't just referencing your terrified crying and thrashing. He made a face of pity before sighing and looking up at Mantis. "Sweetheart, I need ya to go fetch Gamora for me, alright? If ya can't find her get Drax. I'm gonna go find some more sheets."

***

When Mantis came and told Gamora what had happened she immediately had Peter call the doctor they sent for to ask him what to do. You were clearly worsening and Peter was worried the doctor wouldn't get there in time.

Once on the line and after finding your temperature was over 40°C, and learning about the hallucinations, the doctor instructed that you needed to be cooled down immediately, and suggested they place you in a cold bath or shower. After that, they needed to keep your fluids up and monitor your fever.

Until the doctor would get there in about 18 hours, there was unfortunately not much else he could tell them to do.

So they waited.

***

The next time you fully came-to was nearly two days later.

You woke up in your bed feeling tired but better than before. Your stomach was still slightly achy, but the terrible cramping was gone. You also didn't feel as cold and stiff as you previously had.

You sat up, this time without the room performing cartwheels as you did so, and you took that as a good sign.

The room was dimly lit, but you still noticed you were wearing different clothes. You also felt... cleaner than you'd expect, for lack of better word. You realized the implications were that one of the others had likely bathed and re-dressed you and you resolved not to think too much about it as you felt a blush start to creep up your neck.

A loud snore startled you and you looked over to see Drax asleep in a chair between the wall and your bed, an open magazine spread across his stomach where he must have fallen asleep reading it.

You quietly swung your feet over the bed, intent on stretching your legs a bit, but you were startled again when your feet touched down on the floor and a loud tinkling of bells set off, startling Drax awake in turn.

After a grunt and a rub of his eyes he looked at you disapprovingly, asking what you were doing.

"I was just going to walk around a bit," you answer, doing your best not to be snarky. "Why the hell are there bells trip-wired to my bed?"

"You're supposed to stay in bed. You kept trying to get up and falling. It was Rocket's idea so we'd hear you trying to escape."

It was your turn to make a disapproving face, but you supposed you couldn't exactly be mad at them for caring, even if it seemed unnecessary. "Well, why are you here?"

"We've been taking shifts to watch over you, Peter said we were waiting for your fever to break, but I told him waiting for your temperature to return to normal would be sufficient."

"Oh," is all you could say, brushing off his absurd literalness. "Um, thank you." you add quietly. You hadn't realized.

"Yes. Now will you go back to bed, or do you need help going to the toilet again?"

You blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Well, each time you were almost awake enough to think you could walk the past couple days it was because you needed to use the toilet or you were going to vomit. I just assumed you were doing it again. You're very stubborn."

"No, Drax." you say, blushing fully now. You weren't sure if you were embarrassed more by his bluntness or the new knowledge that the others had to help you pee and clean up your sick. You didn't even want to think about if they had to wipe your ass. You'd literally die. "Even if I did, I can do it by myself. I feel much better now." It wasn't until then that it hit you what he had said. "Wait- Did you say two days?"

"I did."

"I've been out... for two days?"

"Yes."

"So... this whole time? ...You guys have been looking out for me?"

"Yes." Drax answered, seeming confused why you'd even ask. "Us and the doctor that came by yesterday." He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you crying?"

You wiped at your eyes quickly, having wished he hadn't noticed the tears that sprang to your eyes and filled your waterline. "I'm not," you sniff, looking down a the bed. "Just... Thanks. You didn't need to do that, so thanks. You can go to bed now. I feel better now. Sorry."

Drax stood. "Why are you apologizing? That's what family is supposed to do." He picked up a thermometer that had been placed on your nightstand and aimed it at your forehead. "And we did need to. You are small and weak like Peter. You would have died if we hadn't." The thermometer beeped and Drax read it. "You're right, your temperature is almost back to normal. But I suggest you still go back to sleep."

You wanted to tell him he was being dramatic about the dying part, but then you remembered that you actually didn't really remember much past seeing your bloody vomit, and you had absolutely no memory of any doctor, so you didn't push it.

"If your fever is gone you no longer need to be watched. I'll let the others know. Goodnight." Drax said, walking around the bed towards the door.

"Uh, Drax?"

He turned to you. "Yes?"

You wrapped your arms around his middle. "Thanks again."

He returned the hug, patting you on the back as he said, "You don't need to thank me. I know you'd do the same in return. Now sleep."

You pulled back from the hug and nodded, a gesture that you'd be good and go to sleep.

Drax seemed to want the confirmation of you getting back under the covers though, so with a light laugh huffed through your nose you crawled back between the sheets and obeyed. Seemingly satisfied, Drax finally left.

***

You woke the next morning feeling almost completely like yourself again.

You washed up and dressed, but not before removing the trip-wire bells from your bed, and then you made your way out of your room to get a glass of water and see if you could find the others.

Turned out, both the water and your teammates were all in the same place.

You walked into the kitchen to find everyone already inside. Before you could say anything Kraglin spoke up.

"Look! The world's worst patient lives!" he said with a grin.

"Nah, Krags, that's still you." Yondu corrected, giving you a wink as Peter agreed with him, but amended that it was a close race.

You walked over to a cabinet to get yourself a glass. "Drax told me what you guys did, and- well, thanks," you say walking over to the sink. "I mean, spare me the details, I don't want to hear anymore about it than what Drax already told me happened, but still, thanks. You didn't need to." You filled your glass and turned back to face them, sipping your water.

Yondu noted your blush and nudged you in the arm on his way to the coffee. "Don't mention it, kid."

This sentiment was met with nods and verbalizations of agreement from the others. You were family. That's what family did.

"Kay, but next time, which I hope there won't be, just stay in bed." Peter laughed.

"Yeah, yeah." you say, grumbling playfully.

"You hear that? Someone write that down." said Rocket, "We're going to hold you to that."

"Don't push it." you say, eyeing the raccoon.

"What? Your stubborn ass only tried to escape like a hundred times," Kraglin joked.

"And that's my cue to get to work," you say, setting your glass on the counter with the intent to run away from this conversation. However, you were stopped by Yondu grabbing your sleeve with an "Ah, Ah" and Gamora shoving a bowl of Yarrow Root across the table with the command to "Eat something first. You don't want to set yourself back and get sick again."

You sighed but didn't argue, knowing it was better to comply and realizing you were a little hungry anyway. You took a root from the bowl and bit into it to satisfy your friends.

That's when Peter speaks up and tells you that the doctor said you needed to take it easy for at least a day or two.

You narrowed your eyes. "When?"

"When she was here."

"When was that?" You take another bite of the root.

"Couple days ago."

You swallow. "Well then I'm considering that as time served." you say, deciding you'd take your breakfast to go.

Drax blocked your path.

"Um, can I get through?"

"No. Quill said this might happen. I'm stopping you from escaping. Finish your breakfast."

You shoot a glare at Peter before giving a hopeful look to Rocket. "You can talk some sense into them, right?"

Rocket shrugged. "Not my problem." before collecting Groot and leaving the kitchen with Mantis, who mouthed the word "Sorry" to you as they left.

You sighed, knowing there sure as hell wasn't any reasoning with the other five. "Really? This is what we're gonna do?"

"Yep." Peter grinned. Yondu and Kraglin simply shrugged behind their coffee.

Once you relented and sat down Gamora stood and stated that it wouldn't kill you to rest after being sick before leaving with Drax, who had apparently decided his job as security guard was now over. He said he was glad you were feeling better before following Gamora to the door and saying to her, without consideration that you could still hear, something to the tune that he imagined you felt better... now that you weren't puking and soiling yourself.

You choked on your water.

The other three pretended to be utterly fixated with the table and walls of the kitchen and you covered your face with your hands and moaned, "Next time please let me die."

"Will ya settle for us forgettin' it happened and never speakin' of it again?" Kraglin asked, fighting back a chuckle.

"Yes please." you squeaked from behind your hands.

Seeing an opportunity and taking it Peter added, "You still have to take the next couple days easy though."

"Anything!" you promise, lowering your head to the table.

"I think we got ourselves a deal." Yondu laughed, getting up to put his now empty coffee cup in the sink. "C'mon squirt, I'm sure we can find somethin' to take your mind off it."

And you did. You spent the next couple days just hanging around the ship with the guys and watching old movies Peter had collected over the years, telling funny stories, playing cards, and actually keeping your promise to let your body rest. Before long the whole ordeal was all but forgotten, but you were still always grateful for your family.

You knew no matter what, they had your back.

[restapesta]

They were sitting in their car in the middle of an empty McDonald's parking lot. It was three in the morning, star-lit darkness, the world around them only lit up by the white light of the always-opened drive-through.

It had been a craving that brought them here. Ian waking up for a midnight snack, realizing that Mickey was quite awake too, unable to truly rest until he knew his husband was near, with him. He had been standing in front of the fridge inside their scarcely illuminated kitchen, with Mickey sitting on the kitchen counter, legs criss-crossed watching him. Ian had been contemplating what would be best suited to satiate his hunger, besides the man licking strawberry yogurt clean off the spoon.

A light bulb had lit up above his head.

"Get ready."

"What?"

He threw his hoodie Mickey's way. It was big on Ian most of the time, but it was good enough to keep a person warm. "Trust me, Mick."

Mickey placed the gray sweatshirt over his head, pulling it over his torso until he was engulfed in it. Ian rummaged slowly around for their phones, wallets, and keys, searching for them in the dark. His eyes had accommodated to it, and the moonlight filtering in through the windows helped.

"Where are we going?"

"You look great in my clothes, you know. And, you'll see."

He grasped Mickey by the hand, their fingers locked together in a soft embrace, feeling the warmth of each other's skin. Mickey didn't resist for a moment, trusting Ian with his entire life, following after him like a moth to a flame. The only sound echoing throughout the silent apartment had been the turning of the key inside their lock, and later on the slight thudding of quiet steps outside in the hall before their door.

First they got inside their car, both Mickey and Ian staying silent as the redhead drove through the Westside streets—empty and calm. They were enjoying the peace, the clock on their dashboard showing 02:47, and their bodies were still touching, Ian's palm resting flat against Mickey's pajama-bottom-covered thigh, the ones he felt no need to change out of. Ian was in his too, checkered and amusing, reminding Mickey of a grandpa. It was ten minutes before the logo came into view, large and inviting.

Mickey's stomach rumbled unwittingly as he glanced at his husband, noting the twinkle in his eye. He himself was draped in a thick black sweatshirt, the hood obnoxiously pulled over his head, wisps of hair poking out, flaming red.

"Really?" Mickey asked, a slight flutter in his stomach at the image of it all.

"Open 24/7."

"That's your response?"

"Come on, baby, you're just hangry. Let's get some food in ya'."

Mickey couldn't argue.

Now they were in the car, stuffing their faces with hamburgers and fries, downing them with Coke like madmen—something about late nights made them starved—talking amongst one another with mouths filled with food. With anybody else, it probably would've been disgusting and unattractive.

But not with them. Never with them.

They were playing a game.

Twenty questions that were turning into thirty, all asked with no clear goal in mind, simply the first thing to pop into either one of their heads, out of their mouths only for them to hear.

"Have you ever thought about playing the ?"

"You know I play guitar."

"Do you want a guitar for your birthday?"

"It's my turn to ask the question."

"'kay. Ask."

"How old are those tiny as fuck briefs you have hidden in our dresser and why the fuck do you never wear them?"

"Those are two questions."

"You're blushing."

"'m not."

"Answer it, bitch."

"Just so you know, those briefs are brand new and they fucking fit amazing."

"Why was I then denied the pleasure?"

"Mick—"

"As soon as we get home, you're putting them on."

"Fine."

"You're gonna try them then too."

"Why?"

"Your ass. Have you seen your fucking ass?"

Mickey grinned.

They lapsed into silence as they slurped on the last few sips of their Cokes, plastic squeaking in their hands.

Ian finished his drink with a loud sigh, discarding the cup with the rest of the trash that was sitting between them. Mickey followed suit. They were stuffed now and slightly sleepy, drowsiness appearing in their eyes.

Mickey watched as Ian leaned back in his seat. They had reclined them all the way, so Ian was practically laying in it, long legs sprawled out underneath the console. He placed his hands across his stomach, palms across one another.

"What was the best day of your life?" He asked like the sap he was.

Mickey smiled at the question, teasing, "It's my turn."

"Mickey."

"Okay, fine," He chuckled, not wanting to play that specific game of pull and tug, content with the peacefulness of it all. "Let me think about it."

First kiss. Engagement. Wedding. Anniversary. Too many moments to pick from, each stained with a problem they had faced and overcame, beautiful in their own fucked up ways.

He nibbled on his lower lip as he recalled a memory of compete and utter happiness. No problems, no worries, no sadness. It dawned on him, the sensation like drinking water after days of dehydration.

"Remember that trip to Oklahoma?"

A smile graced Ian's features, his eyes briefly closing as he seemed to recall the day. "Don't think I could forget."

"We spent a whole day at that fair. Rented out a room at some shitty motel. From morning till night we went on every single ride possible. Literally saw every attraction there." He was getting lost in the memory, chest swelling with happiness. "Kissed on top of the Ferris wheel at midnight when it was just about to close, like fucking dorks."

He turned around to glance at Ian. He was looking straight at him, the small upturn of his lips reading clear in his eyes, gazing at Mickey like he was everything to him in this entire world.

Whispering, Mickey said, "That was the best day of my life."

Ian grabbed a hold of his hand slowly, delicately, placing it in his lap, the action making warmth heat Mickey's cheeks. Mickey leaned against his own seat, mirroring his husband, eyes on him all the way.

"The best day of my life was the 21st of June, 2021," Ian said longingly as if he was reading the beginning of some old fairytale-type story.

Mickey couldn't help the laugh that escaped him at Ian's sweet earnestness. "You know the date?"

Ian shot him a look, no bite in it whatsoever. "Allow me to tell the story, please?"

Mickey bit his lip to stop smiling. "Okay, okay, you're allowed."

Ian smacked lightly at Mickey's chest, not moving an inch, still slumped in his seat lazily.

"That night I had a dream," He began. "It wasn't even like a dream. More like a fucking vision—and I know how weird that sounds, trust me. But it was literally like a vision, clear and vivid and everything.

"Anyways, the dream—or vision, whatever—was of you and me, sitting in two lawn chairs, staring out into the world. But the thing is, we were older. Like, ninety-year-old old. We were just staring ahead. Then at each other. The way we looked at each other is how we look at each other now—filled with a bunch of love and fondness. It was just the two of us, together, old and gray."

Ian stopped and took a deep breath, leaning forward in his seat, locking eyes with Mickey who was listening carefully. Mickey straightened himself as well, and they were just sitting in their car, gazing softly at one another as Ian told the story, the remnants of their endeavor resting between them.

"So," He continued. "On the 21st of June, 2021, I woke up and all I could think about was that dream. It was like—like on a fucking loop inside my head, and each time I even glanced at you, I just saw the two of us, old and together.

"And I realized, as fucking weird as it sounds, that it was us. I swear Mick, it was you and me, years from now, just sitting in fucking lawn chairs, staring out into the world. Into each other's eyes." His eyes shone. "And all throughout that day, I knew that one day, we'd get there. That you and I would spend the rest of our lives together until we were wrinkly and gray and doing nothing but being together. Each time I even saw you from the cone of my eye, grumpy and frowning at whatever, I was so happy because I would get to spend the rest of my life with you.

"That, until the day I died, I would have you as my partner. My husband. My best friend. The love of my fucking life; by my side until there is nothing left in the world to do but sit by each other and just watch as time goes by.

"Just you and me, Mick. Until the end."

Mickey watched him inhale deeply.

"Best day of my fucking life, and I get to live it forever."

A tear slipped out of Mickey's eye. He felt it on his cheek, rolling down, hot against the already warm skin, yet all he could see was Ian. Ian with the shimmering orbs and that look in his eye like he was staring at everything he needed in life.

Mickey pulled his hand out of Ian's from where it was resting in his lap, then raised them to palm Ian's cheeks, pulling him in for a deep kiss. Lips moving together in the dark, serendipitous in all ways, the vulnerability for once a blessing instead of a curse.

"You never told me that story," He whispered against Ian's lips.

"It just felt right for me to know. Maybe we were just both waiting for this moment, unknowingly."

Another tear, filled with so much.

"We both live the best day of our life like that, Ian. Every single day."

Ian nodded, smiling against Mickey's lips. "I know, my love. I know."

They were sitting in their car in the middle of an empty McDonald's parking lot. It was four in the morning, star-lit darkness, the world around lit up by only them, the love palpable like a glow, allowing them to see clearly; see all the things that were important to them.

A person needed the match to their gasoline so they could light the fire that would burn and simmer. A person, too, needed the cord to their plug that would alight the darkness of the inside of their chest.

Because one would be lost without the glow in the dark. Or at least not be able to truly see.