it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

What Goes Around, Comes Around

prompt: ( requested ) Billy's known for his temper and being obsessed with his pretty little girlfriend - which gets her severely injured by his past transgressions.

pairing: Billy Hargrove x female!cheerleader!reader reader and Billy are both 18+, seniors in high school

word count: 6.7k+

fandom masterlist: Stranger Things

note: you're a liar if you didn't immediately start singing Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around... Comes Around".

warnings: remember there are different responses to trauma! some people shut down, stop talking; others jabber and chatter nervously. reader is the latter. we got angst, we got literal hurt and comfort, established relationship. term "going postal" is used, cursing, technically underage drinking, not edited, author mildly gave up at the end. triggering content: depictions of physical violence, depictions of injury and blood, depiction of abuse, violent plots, Billy's girl gets physically assaulted (but it's minimally detailed).

DO NOT read if this content can potentially trigger you. you are NOT missing anything, you will miss NOTHING by skipping this, but i do try to keep the details as neutral as possible. again, prioritize yourself, mental health, and emotional state - this ain't worth the read if it's gonna upset you, i promise. author loves you all

"That's fucking her, I swear to God."

"You sure?"

"100%. That's Billy's little bitch he's obsessed with."

The three guys smirked at one another, eyeing you across the living room as you giggled and drank with a few friends in adorable, fashion forward outfits. Someone started a game of beer pong, you on the sidelines to cheer, giving them a full-show of your form.

"She's hot," Jake mused. "I can see why he keeps her so close."

"Nah, not tonight," Lawrence frowned, "heard they got in some huge fight at school. Like, she walked home and he sped off in his car."

"Hm, heard he's ridiculously protective of her... She must've really pissed him off," the third boy, Steven, nodded. "So, he's not here tonight?"

"Doubt it," Jake nodded.

"Go find out," Steven advised. "There, the basketball bros - one of them would know. Or a cheerleader," he eyed the crowd. "Chrissy's over there, Brittany's beside her - they'd be the best bet in my mind."

"We seriously considering this?" Lawrence asked with a small, nervous chuckle. "I mean, it's kinda crazy, isn't it? We're gonna send Billy Hargrove a message by roughing up his girl? There's not some better way?"

"I'd love to hear it," Steven scoffed. "Billy's too comfortable at the top of the school, broke my fucking nose and deviated Jake's septum. Didn't he fuck your sister the first week he was here, Lawrence?"

"I mean - "

"Broke her fucking heart, didn't he?" Jake tacked on.

"Well, yeah," Lawrence sighed, shrugging.

"You tell me, dude, was that shit fair?"

"No," Lawrence looked down.

"So, yeah, I know, it's bad to hit a lady - but what about my boot? Huh?" Steven smirked, nodding. "Go find out what you can. Last thing we need is Billy walkin' in the party, right?"

Jake nodded with enthusiasm, leaving Lawrence behind. He hesistated but then did as Steven asked; asking the present basketball team members if Billy gave indication he was coming. The cheerleaders assured he wouldn't dare show up when you were there after a very public fight, and if he did, it would be to cause another scene.

So, after reporting back to Steven, a plan was formed. Lawrence didn't seem fully on board, but in an effort to save his own skin, he went along with what Jake and Steven were plotting - even if that meant roughing up a woman. Something his mama and grandmama vehemently taught him not to do...

Something churned in his stomach when he heard how the two lads were nearly foaming at the mouth to get their revenge. So, he casually went to grab another drink - pausing where a few of your friends were. "Oi," he whispered, earning their attention.

"Hey, Law," Chrissy smiled.

"Hey, Chris," he sniffled, glancing around. "Listen, uh, you seen Billy 'round?"

"No? Why?"

"Hmm, just, uh... Heard his girl was all upset, thought maybe her drinking all that much was a bad idea without him around."

"Oh," Chrissy blinked, looking up at her boyfriend, Jason, as he approached the group with two drinks in hand. "I didn't think about it like that, Law."

"What's wrong?" Jason asked.

"No, nothing, Lawrence just pointed out how shitty it is to drink without someone watching your back," she pouted.

He nodded, "You lose your friends, man?"

"No, just tryna look out," Lawrence shrugged. "Few girls here drinking a lot, not a lot of defenses 'round them."

Jason frowned, "That's kinda their man's job, isn't it?"

"What if their man isn't here?"

"I'm gonna be right back," Chrissy smiled, parting ways with her girlfriend in tow - and when Law looked, they were using the kitchen telephone. He prayed they were phoning the Hargrove residence.

Lawrence sighed in slight relief and nodded to Jason; the white boy just nodding back silently and letting the other athlete pass him by to head back for Jake and Steven. He grabbed an unopened beer on his way to maintain appearances.

"Hey, we got it," Jake smirked at the third boy, "she just went outside, we should move now."

"Huh?" Law mumbled.

"C'mon," Steven growled, pushing off the mantle and stalking for the backdoors to follow your retreating form.

"Wait, what're we doing?" Law asked, trying to keep up with the drunken, elongated strides of the two dickheads he called 'friends'. "Hey! Guys, c'mon - what's going on?"

"Just - shut up, pussy boy, let's go, fuckin' keep up," Steven sneered, shoving the glass door out of his way and nearly cracking it.

Outside, the in-ground pool was alight with multicolored lights. There were teenagers littered all around the pool deck; some lounging and some standing, all drinking. There was a kegstand in play, ping pong table hosting another game of Beer Pong, and the thick stench of cigarette smoke in the air.

"She's over there," Jake pointed, their sights turning to see you leaning over to huff on your cigarette while Tammy May Flipsen lit the end of it. Your smile was genuine as you thanked her, just stepping two feet away to gaze up at the stars - a perfect time to strike.

The alcohol in everyone's system made them slow, vulnerable, and downright stupid; leaving Steven and Jake the opportunity to seize either of your arms and literally rush you around the corner of the house without anyone intervening.

Once in the remote side yard, the sickening plan commenced.

Lawrence could barely approach, managing to watch with tears in his eyes as the noises of the party masked the noises of pain you emitted; two nearly full-grown men took out their anger towards your boyfriend on you. You cried, begged for reprieve, sounded so confused and broken that it shattered Lawrence's heart - briefly thinking what if someone did this to his sister...

That made him spring into action. "Hey! No! No, this ain't right! Get off her!" Lawrence barked, shoving the two away from your body on the ground. "That's enough - back off - fuck is wrong with you!?"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" Steven demanded.

"Bitch has it coming!"

"What? You fuckin' her, too? Got you pussy whipped like Billy Boy?"

"Just fuck off, beating on a girl!" Lawrence snapped, but it was a huge mistake. Jake and Steven shared a single look before launching at the third boy, beating him as they had you - but much harder. He swore he earned a concussion, their heels stomping his neck, collarbones, wrists, ribs, ankles; exactly the same as they did to you.

"Tryna defend her now!?" Jake heaved, giving a swift kick to Lawrence's kidney. "Huh? You're so scared of Billy but you're gonna mess with his girl?" He laughed. "She must have a magic cunt or something!"

"You're so fucking pathetic, you have to beat up a girl!?" Law shot right back, earning a swift kick to the jaw from the lad that used to play soccer (or American fútbol). "Huh? Two on one? Such big men, aren't yah?" He sneered again, spitting blood to the side.

"Leave it," Steven halted Jake when he charged again, "they're both pretty fucked."

"Well, that dumbass should learn a lesson 'bout interfering!"

"Law's learned - he has, bro, and if he wants, he can learn again," Steven spat on Lawrence's form, Jake doing the same to you - both eventually stalking away like bored toddlers walking away from broken toys.

Slowly, Lawrence grunted as he pulled himself up to sit against the side of the house. "Fuck's sake," he whispered, wiping his eyes and wincing when he felt the sore skin - trailing a finger up, wincing again when he discovered split skin above his eyebrow. "Ohhhh, fuuuuck," Law drawled when you slowly peaked up from your fetal position on the ground. "Hey, hey, you all right? Stupid question," he hissed in pain when he moved to try and assist you.

You cried out when his grip laid on you, but powered through to let him help you sit against the house, too. "Holy shit," you whispered, blood dribbling from your mouth; teeth feeling loose, a headache already assaulting you, and cuts stinging in the bitter night.

"I'm so sorry."

"N-No, you - it would've been so much worse if you hadn't..." You trailed off, sniffling, "You didn't have t'jump in, you got hurt 'cause of me."

"You got hurt 'cause of Billy," Lawrence frowned.

"Huh?"

"That's why they're so pissed off," Lawrence explained, spitting more blood to the side; his jeans stained with mud, blood, and grass. "Billy got their asses few weeks ago, they're still pissed... I heard them," he deflected smoothly, "talkin' about teaching Billy a lesson through you. Didn't feel right, but I should've stopped them so much sooner. I-I'm sorry I didn't do more, Y/N."

"You did more than anyone else," you whimpered, drawing your knees into your chest to lock your arms around them. "I don't even know them, they go to our school?"

"We're all in AP History with Snyder."

You paused to nod absently, not even bothering to try and recall any interactions you might've had with Steven and Jake. Instead, you eyed your savior, mumbling, "You're Lawrence, right?"

"Yeah," he breathed.

"Your sister's... Cara? Sarah? No, no," you paused to think, his frown deepening as you seemed so nice and authentic. "Your sister's name is Natalie, right?"

"Yeah," he half-smiled. "You know her?"

"She's a sweetheart, has those cute glasses? Yeah, I like her; she just joined cheer, right?"

"Yeah, that's her."

You eyed him for a moment, ignoring the blood dripping off you both from the beat down; then whispered with a sniffle, "Is that why you helped? 'Cause your sister's on the cheer squad, too?"

"No," he replied instantly, sounding quiet (like you), "I'd like to believe if I saw something I know is wrong... I'd be the type of person to step in, try to stop it."

"You did tonight."

"I should've done more a lot sooner."

"You could've been really hurt, Law."

"Like you?"

"I'm just - look, two guys? Beatin' on me? Yeah," you scoffed, wiping blood from your split lip, "like I ever stood a chance. But you didn't have t'do all that, they wanted Billy, found me instead. You could've walked away, but instead, you jumped in, and you could've been really hurt. That wouldn't help anyone."

"I'm still sorry..."

You sniffled, but before you could respond, you heard footsteps thundering over the lawn; a voice shouting your name in frantic, panicked little outbursts. Looking up, you caught sight of a black leather jacket and unruly blonde curls, frowning deeper. "Oh, fuck," you whispered, withdrawing into yourself, "oh, no, no, not now. Not now, Goddamnit. Think I can make a run for it to the street before he sees me?" You asked Law quietly, nearly hissing your whisper.

"Ain't that Billy?" Law asked, finger pointed.

"He can't see me," you rushed in a panic, eyes wide and tears welling. "Lawrence, he can't!"

"Why?"

"He'll go on a fucking rampage, Lawrence! Ever heard going postal? Yeah, Bee gives that shit new meaning."

"They'd deserve whatever Billy wants t'do," Law frowned, tensing up when Billy had turned, caught sight of you two, and made an angry beeline for you in the grass. "U-Uh, Billy's approaching," he warned you as your boyfriend arrived, trying to pull back to give privacy, but wincing in pain that made him stop.

"The fuck is going - ? Oh, my fuckin' God," Billy trailed off, then whispered when he saw you huddled on the ground; your dress in tatters. Your head was bowed, knees drawn in, refusing to meet his eyes; making your leather-clad boyfriend lower himself to a knee. "Baby? Hey, look at me, sweet girl, lemme see... C'mon, baby, please, look at me."

You only sniffled.

"It was Jake and Steven," Lawrence told Billy, trying to find his feet; falling over and just giving up.

"Hell happened to you, man?"

Lawrence frowned, looking nervous, but your voice answered, "He saved me, Bee. Jumped in, took some of the beating."

Billy looked between you and Lawrence, but focused on you - seeing the injuries to your face and chest in full light. "Oh, my God," he breathed, looking you over in shock. Those pink, pillowy lips you adored licking and sucking on were parted in shock.

You half-smiled, "Think you pissed a few of the wrong guys off."

"Jesus Christ, sweet girl. What happened? Tell me, please, before I start making assumptions," he demanded, reaching for your cheek - making you recoil hard enough that your head banged on the house supporting your exhausted body. "Hey, hey," he whispered, looking physically wounded by your action, "'s just me, baby, it's just me, it's Bee, I'm not gonna hurt you. C'mon, sweetheart, lemme help you."

You sniffled, letting him reach for you again and caress your cheek so he could direct your head left and right; giving him a full view of your injuries that continued to weep. He stiffened as he took note of a new cut or bruise upon every new sweep of his eyes, his anger skyrocketing with every passing moment.

"It hurts," you whimpered. "Apparently, you beat the shit outta those guys weeks ago - guess they were waiting for an opening to strike back."

"You don't deserve this," he growled angrily. "Fuck - look at you! Goddamnit, I'm so sorry, princess, this is my fault. All my fucking fault, shit," he hissed, looking close to tears, "I put you here, I'm so sorry, baby."

"Got Lawrence his ass beat, too," you pouted.

"Sorry about this, man," Billy instantly offered the other boy, who was practically slumped over in the grass. He still managed to give a thumbs up. "But, uh, thank you for stepping in. You know, not a whole lotta people would."

"Nah, it was the right thing to do," Law frowned, waving him off.

"You said Jake and Steven did this?"

"Mhm," Law nodded. "Jake Chastain and Steven Barton."

"Yeah, I know 'em," Billy shook his head, "and I'll fuckin' kill 'em - "

"Can we get cleaned up first? Before we go murdering high school jocks?" You pouted in pain.

"Hey, man. You got a friend here or something? Someone to help us?" Billy asked Lawrence, still caressing your face with his thumb sweeping the apple of your cheek.

"My sister's 'round, yeah..."

"Want me to grab her?" Billy offered awkwardly.

"I'd actually appreciate it," Law whispered. "Gotta get home, yeah?"

"Yeah, man. Stay here, I'll grab her," Billy agreed. "What's her name?"

"Natalie, she's a cheerleader. Um... Y-You dated her beginning of the year?"

"I remember," he sighed, standing to his feet. He told you earnestly, almost sweetly, "I'll be fast."

But the thing is, you knew Billy all too well by now. "Wait, no," you gasped, trying to stand, "Bee, don't!" It was too late, he was already gone by the time you and Lawrence stumbled out from hiding; just in time to watch Billy point Natalie towards where you and her brother were. Then, he turned and surged up to an unsuspecting Jake and Steven; launching an all-out brawl against the two.

Neither of them stood a chance when Billy was THIS angry. Nobody did. In fact, if Jason, Tommy H., and two other guys hadn't pulled him back, surely, there'd be a lot more than a couple of broken bones. However, when Billy told the other basketball players in a spit-flying rage that these two cowards had attacked his girlfriend (a few turning back to get a look at you), it launched a new, mutual anger. Chrissy and a few other cheerleaders wanted to step in when the "fight" (more like attack) started again, but when they saw you, Lawrence, and Natalie, nobody said a single word. Nobody interfered. Nobody interrupted, and luckily, nobody else joined in...

Before Jake and Steven could lose their lives or sustain serious injury that would result in any arrests, Billy was pulled back by Lawrence - of all people. "Hey, hey," the beaten boy barked, "hey, man, chill - chill! These guys deserve it, yeah, I fucking know, but look, hey!" He grabbed Billy's shoulders to prevent him from turning back for the fray. "Hey! Your girl needs you, man. She needs you more than these bozos. C'mon, you can't go to jail over this shit, right? Right? How mad you gonna be if you get bagged 'cause of these jackasses?"

This seemed to force Billy back to reality and out of his homicidal rage. A few dudes who played football stepped in to hoist the unconscious jocks over their shoulders just to leave them on the curb a couple houses down the street.

Billy raced back to you.

Chrissy and Natalie were helping wipe blood from your skin and hair; clothes damaged, ripped, stained, beyond repair, and another cheerleader was holding a bag of frozen peas to your head as you leaned on her stomach. He slid his jacket from his shoulders, easing you off the girl's belly to leave it around your trembling form and then taking the girl's spot, supporting your body as you were tended to.

Eventually, Chrissy sighed, "I think that's the best we're gonna get you, honey. You want us to come over in the mornings? Help you get dressed and do your make-up?"

"No offense, but I don't think that's necessary... It's not like what happened is a secret," Natalie whispered, looking you over.

"Make-up might irritate the injuries," the other girl offered softly. "But it might cover some of those bruises, I just would avoid the cuts."

"I'm okay, girls, but thank you," you assured softly. "Bee's here t'help."

"Yeah, taking you straight to the hospital," he decided stiffly from behind you.

"What?"

"Think I'm not gonna get you checked out after this? Two men attacked you, I gotta make sure ain't shit's seriously wrong, baby. Don't fight me on this, please."

Billy's mind was warped with memories of sitting in ER's and other clinics with his mother nursing a broken wrist or damaged eye socket. His father's anger had always been a temperamental switch, something Billy felt he always had to outdo. Being in the hospital with you felt too similar, another bolt of rage zinging through his blood; hating the idea that you were the victim, and like his mother, he wasn't able to protect you.

Unlike his mother, this situation was directly his fault. He didn't even remember why he beat the shit outta Steven and Jake all those weeks ago, but whatever the reason, it cost him now. Cost you both.

The party continued inside the house, but Billy walked around the side yard, down to the front, then towards the street full of parked cars with you secure in his arms. After getting you settled safely in the passenger seat of his Camaro, Billy rightened and shut the door; seeing Lawrence and Natalie approaching their own car, the bag of peas now held to his jaw and cheek.

His sister was under his arm, helping him hobble. Billy gulped, realizing Lawrence was beat to hell, too, and if he hadn't jumped in, Lord only knew what state you'd be in now. When the two men caught one another's eye, Billy offered a nod of respect and thanks; the other lad returning it as if to say he was welcome. Billy raced for the driver's door, sliding in, and without turning any music on, drove off towards the hospital.

You were grumpy to be there, but one look at you had the medical staff moving at a quickened pace to help you; offering speedy aid. You were cleaned and cared for; questions regarding the level of assault making you nervous, but you answered honestly that two classmates had jumped you at a party. This meant the police were called; tears in your eyes and down your cheeks when you had to tell Chief Hopper (a close family friend) exactly what happened.

Billy provided their assailant’s full names and promised they wouldn't be in the best shape when (slash if) the two were found.

After hearing your story and writing the names down from Billy, Hopper sighed in empathy, "Kid... Don't admit t'anything."

"I'm not, I'm just making a casual note," Billy countered. "You know, people don't take too kindly to people hittin' a woman. Less so when she's drunk, alone, and they fuckin' stomp on her - "

"All right," Hopper tried to halt his built up anger. "Let's just take a breath here - "

"Uh, Chief?" His deputy interrupted. "Them boys? Uh, a... Jake Chastain and Steven Barton? They were just wheeled in from an ambulance."

"Interesting," Hopper noted, sparing Billy a small look. "From where?"

"A neighbor called them in, said there's a party few houses from her on Hawthorne."

Jim Hopper sighed and turned to you and Billy with his hands on his hips. His face was passively angry. "Sound familiar?" He asked, tongue sweeping over his teeth.

"Yes," you answered for you both, "that's where it happened, Chief."

His eyes softened when he looked back at you. "All right," he nodded, looking to his partner. "Go stand by their room, keep an eye - I'll be there in a second, but the victims made a positive ID. Doc's will treat 'em and we'll book 'em." When left alone, Hopper took a suspicious look around the hospital floor before sliding the curtains shut around your bed; moving to your other side, removing his hat, and kneeling. "Listen, kid," he whispered, taking your hand softly, "I got a daughter at home, too, and if anyone - and I mean, anyone - laid a hand on her the way you were tonight, I'd burn this town to the fucking ground."

Billy snorted in amusement, "Know the feeling."

Hopper nodded, "So believe me when I say, I need to know, off the record, what really happened tonight. Your father will need to know that I am doing everything to help - but I need to know the truth."

"I don't know what to tell you, Hopper," you frowned, matching his quiet tone, "I've told you what I know. I was a few drinks in, stepped outside t'smoke, and that's when they grabbed me, took me t'the side yard, and started wailing on me. I dropped, they kept goin', that's when this other boy stepped in. He got beat up pretty good, too, but he helped get them away. Billy showed up, we came here - "

"I hit them," Billy interrupted, making you squeak lightly. Hopper just laid his other hand over yours so he cocooned it; glancing around the under skirts of the curtains to make sure you remained alone.

Then he asked, "When?"

"After I made sure Y/N was okay," Billy explained, petting a hand over the back of your head; never looking away from Hopper. "I found her friend's sister, made sure someone knew where they were, and then I hit them... And I didn't stop hitting them."

"Kid - "

"Some teammates pulled me off, don't worry - it could've been so much worse. But when the others found out what they did to my girl?" He hissed quietly, "They took matters into their own hands by themselves, sir. My girl was attacked, I couldn't let that just slide, Chief, I hope you understand."

Hopper sighed, "Well, I can't condone the violence, but since it was a group effort, be a helluva lot more paperwork bringing you in versus those two who started it."

Billy nodded absently, your free hand laying over Hopper's to stack. "Did you call my dad?" You asked nervously.

"Not yet," he frowned. "I gotta check on the suspects, but I can after."

"Could you not? For me, please?" You sniffled. "He'll just worry and would get all pissy 'cause his trip has to be cut - "

"He's not home?" Hopper asked in earnest confusion with knitted brows.

Your head shook, "Chicago for the week."

"He left eight days ago," Billy snipped.

"Bee," you reprimanded sharply.

"Hey," Hopper squeezed your hand, "it's okay, you're over 18, I don't have to call him. But El and I are gonna drop by later with dinners and to check on you, her little friend, too, probably. You know, the, uh... The little red head?"

"Max?" You asked.

"Yeah, her. Nice girl."

"She's Billy's step-sister," you snickered, wincing when your broken ribs protested.

"You should rest," Hopper bid, "and thank you for being honest," he stood to his feet while nodding at Billy. "Tell you what, I won't report you starting the fight - technically... It'll be reported as a randomized group effort after they were caught assaulting Y/N."

Billy nodded, too shocked for words as Hopper patted your hand, placed his hat on, and exited the little curtained room. "Wow," your boyfriend breathed. "Since when are you friends with the Chief of Police?"

"He and my dad go way back," you eased.

"All cops like him?"

"Fuck no, you know that." After a beat, you reached for his hand to lace your fingers with him, "Hey," you bid, "I-I'm really sorry."

"Baby, just - don't even start - "

"No, for earlier, for our fight," you interrupted, "and for feeling petty enough to go to the party alone when I know you don't like that... For drinking, not being more aware like you taught me. I didn't use the buddy-system when I went t'smoke, it was a major fuck-up, I know, but I'm just sorry. I feel like I've disappointed you or something - "

"No, hey, sweet girl," he rushed, sitting on the edge of the gurney to stare at you directly, "don't you ever feel that way - you didn't do nothing wrong. Hear me? You didn't put yourself in this position, you didn't deserve what happened, you didn't - no, just," he sighed deeply, "you didn't do any of this, sweetheart. Okay? If anything... If anything, this is my fucking fault and I'm the one who is so sorry."

Your head shook, but Billy continued,

"They did this to you because of me." Tears filled those sweet baby blues. "Because I don't have a hold of my temper - I fucked them up, so, they fucked you up. This is my fault, I'm so sorry. But look, hey, I'll fix this, okay? I swear to God - I'm gonna fix this."

"The cops got 'em, we don't have t'do anything else," you mumbled. "You don't have to do anything else, Billy."

"Maybe not, but I can't let this go - look at you," a single tear dripped. "Fucking look at you, my sweet girl. In the fucking hospital 'cause of me - I can't - this ain't right. I gotta make it right."

You couldn't answer because a technician was arriving to take you for a CT, MRI, and X-Ray - all of those scans that would tell them what was going on internally. Hopper was seen outside the two boy's rooms - Billy following your bed closely as you where wheeled away. Every scan or test he could remain close for, he was; stepping back when needed, but being sucked right back to your side when able.

By the end of the night, you were released into Billy's care because all patients with head injuries had to have some kind of chaperone, and a few floors up, Steven and Jake were being handcuffed to their hospital beds by Hopper.

"Real lucky I wasn't there when you hit her," Jim Hopper seethed quietly, tightening the cuff on Jake to an uncomfortable grip. "Your parents would need money for your funerals - not bail," he offered one single more glare before leaving the next shift of deputies on duty. He sped all the way home and held Eleven in a suffocating hug.

Turns out, you sustained decent injuries from that night.

A (cleanly) broken ankle. Six different broken ribs. Split lip that required two stitches. Stitched earlobes from where piercings were ripped out. Severely bruised collarbones, bordering on broken. One blackened eye. Along with other generic bruises and cuts, more seemingly discovered as the days drug by slowly.

Billy was ready to mow down anyone in his way at any point, but his only ability to get through the school day was that he saw you everyday afterward. He dropped whatever sport and / or club that held his interest, collecting coursework you missed, then driving Max and "Jane" Hopper to your place. He would've lashed out if this was any other situation, but because you asked him to behave and bring you the materials you needed, he did. He played nice.

The two assailants, Steven and Jake, had been arrested by Jim Hopper. They apparently had a rough ride to the station, but that wasn't here or there. What they did to you was far worse that nobody batted a single lash when the two were brought in the station for booking, looking freshly beat up and bloodied. A judge also rejected their bail.

Billy brought you whatever work you missed during your recovery at home, most teachers shocked to see him so diligent in showing up and making the collections. He didn't understand whatever the teachers told him about the work, but you did - and it was fascinating to him, watching you work or study. He usually sat by your window to smoke, but on the occasion, you asked for a toke and wouldn't care about where the smoke blew. So, as weeks passed, he stopped specifically going over to your window; just leaving it open for ventilation so he could remain at your side.

Anything you needed, he got. He did. He gave you. Guilt was one helluva motivator and Billy was chalked-full; so, he did the only thing he knew he could, being acts of service.

You were laid up, it made sense. He could bring you into the shower, get naked himself and help you bathe. He could carry you downstairs, cook for you, help out around the house by keeping it clean because he knew it stressed you out. He would collect the mail, water plants, do dishes, just turned into a househusband that made your stomach and cheeks feel all warm and fuzzy. Never did you think Billy had the ability to be domestic, but here he was, in your great-grandmother's kitchen, wearing a stained apron while trying to bake cookies while you worked on a physics project.

"Hey, Bee?"

"What's wrong?" He asked instantly, setting the hot tray to the stove.

"No, hey, calm down," you smiled with a small laugh. "I was just wondering... You know, like... What's gotten into you?"

"Huh?"

"You know what I mean," you huffed, setting your pencil down. "You literally haven't let me out of your sight except when you're at school."

He shrugged, "You need help."

"You don't ask if I do."

"I don't need to ask when I can just see it."

"Billy."

He sighed and begrudgingly scraped cookies off the hot tray to rest on the cooling sheets. "Your dad asked me to stay close," he offered.

"Bullshit."

"No, really," Billy insisted. "He's in and out with work, so, he asked me to stick around, just in case."

"Okay, fine, but it's more than that. Billy, tell me the truth, baby, please. It's not a bad thing, I'm just curious what's really going on."

"I'm just... I'm just nervous, you know?"

Your head cocked, "Why's that?"

"Look what happened to you," he chuckled ruefully. "All fucked up, can't even go t'school until your ribs are healed - all 'cause of me. 'Cause I fucked up and went too far - "

"William," you snapped, making his wide, shocked eyes meet yours. "I'm not gonna listen to this anymore. Okay? I know you're sorry, you tell me everyday, andI know you're feeling guilty, but this isn't your fault, you're not the one who put hands on me - "

You flinched when he lobbed the cookie tray into the sink, causing a ruckus, his voice yelling over the noise, "FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

"William!"

"I'm trying to protect you!" He yelled, tears swelling when he whipped around to face you. "I-I don't know what else to do! Look, okay, say what you fucking want, but the truth is, those two assholes came at you 'cause of me. Okay? 'Cause I had to be myself and beat the shit outta them 3 months ago, they never forgave - they didn't forget. I put you in this situation, that now? Now, yeah!" He laughed without humor. "Yeah! I'm fucking nervous leaving you alone! Fuck knows what could happen to you, and who's to say there aren't more people out there just waiting for this kinda opportunity! Baby!" He rushed for you at the kitchen table, your mouth sewn shut in shock as he found his knees in front of you and took both your hands in his. "Baby, listen to me. You're the only thing - no, I'm serious!" He insisted when you looked ready to protest this sentiment you've heard before. "You're the only thing I fucking care about, that I want to protect, and they all know it - I don't exactly hide it. I love you so fucking much, they'd do this again - they'd fucking hurt you to get to me and that idea just..." He sighed, looking lost.

You pulled a hand free to instantly caress his cheek, turning his attention upward until his eyes met yours. "Billy," you whispered, "baby, nobody's after us. This was just a freak accident, this was a fluke, okay? You're worried anyone else is gonna come at me, at us, but I know nobody else is that fucking stupid. They wouldn't test you, and Jake and Steven took advantage of an already bad situation. Okay? We had a fight - which was pretty public. So, people knew we were at odds, and when I showed up at that party alone, started drinking, it was their perfect opportunity to strike."

"You can't say that, we don't know if anyone else is gonna test us," he sniffled. "I've made a lot of mistakes... Pissed a lot of people off. One of them might've grown a pair."

"Okay," you relented, "then I guess we're gonna have to stick together, you know... So you can keep me safe, right?"

He chuckled dryly, "I'm trying, princess."

"Well, we can work out a better way - one that doesn't run you into the fucking ground, Billy, Jesus," you searched his face. "Are you sleeping? At all?"

"'Course I am - "

"Don't lie to me."

He sighed, deflating a little, "I sleep... Only when I stay here."

"Billy, you stay only a couple nights a week when Daddy's home."

"I know."

"So, you basically only sleep when Daddy's out of town and you stay here?" You squeaked, watching him nod; pouting and feeling your own guilt brew. "Baby... Look, can we just agree that this isn't either of our faults? Right? Yeah? If I'm not allowed to think this was my fault, you aren't either."

"I was the one they wanted t'hurt," he shook his head. "They did this 'cause of me, sweetheart, how can you be so - so - fuck! So fucking understanding a-and forgiving?"

"Because I love you," you answered like it was common knowledge, even giving a small giggle.

"That doesn't... But that doesn't even - "

"What? Mean anything? Bee, it means everything," you smiled at him. "I love you, so, when you make mistakes, I forgive you - even though there's nothing you've done. I mean," you winced slightly, "sure, maybe we could reduce the kids you bully or beat up, you know, limit the enemies we might make. And this is something that can be redeemed, can't it?"

He stared at you from the floor, slowly deflating, "Can it? I've fucked up so much, doll, I don't think I deserve whatever forgiveness you wanna give me."

"You can't keep beating yourself up," you snipped. "Hey? Hear me? Look, it happened - it fucking sucked, but it happened and it's fucking over. We both need one another to help move on, okay? So, I need you back, Bee, I need my man back because we need to get through this together. You don't get to sulk in your guilt, I don't get to stew in my regret, we need to help each other out of this."

Billy sniffled, "How? How do we move on when you've still got stitches in your lip?"

"They'll dissolve in a few days," you shrugged meekly. "We move on together, okay? Maybe you pick up basketball again, try to distract yourself. Billy, we need some normalcy again, right? You know?"

"Doll, being away from you makes me feel like my lungs are gonna pop," he shook his head. "I'm afraid something might happen if I'm not there, it's fucking scary after finding you in your own blood."

"Then I'll be at every practice," you eased. "You can drive me to and from school, then you know where I am - you'll know I'm safe."

Billy stared at you a moment, fully dropping to the floor as his energy finally drained. He ran a hand through his hair, rustling the curls, admitting in a soft voice, "I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to not feel so guilty, how to move forward."

"There's no playbook," you agreed. "Guess it means we gotta figure it out ourselves, but again, we do it together. C'mere," you sighed, lowering yourself to the floor with your booted ankle held out.

"No, don't - "

"Fuck off, I'm not totally unable to do shit," you grunted, adjusting yourself and reaching for him. "Come here, please, I wanna hold you! Been cuddling me this whole time, lemme be the big spoon, please."

"Just told me to fuck off, sweetheart, kinda sending some mixed signals, aren't'cha?" He chuckled, turning so his back was to your chest; leaning so you supported him in his slump. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he muttered, holding the arm around his collarbones. "I really - if I knew this was gonna happen, I'd never of fought them."

"I know, and I forgive you," you whispered in his ear. "But we can't keep doing this back and forth, okay? I forgive you, Billy, no more apologies."

He sighed, "Yeah... All right..."

"Steven and Jake are arrested, we won't have t'see them again. Hopper will make sure of that," you smirked against the shell of his ear. "And the doctors said I should be good to return to school next week, but I'm out of cheer and everything."

He groaned, "Just something else I've fucked up for you."

"Oh, please, I love the time off," you teased. "Gives me all the time I need to watch my man on the court, huh?" He half-chuckled at your words. "You know I'm ahead in all my classes now, too? Teaching myself at home is far superior than the teacher's bitching at us for eight hours."

"You're gonna love college, baby," he chuckled, the two of you lulling into a comfortable silence. You held him tightly, nuzzled into his neck; both sitting in your emotions, trying to navigate a way out.

"We good?" You whispered.

"We're good," Billy agreed, just as soft. "No more apologies... Try to have less guilt. But you're gonna let me stay close, right?"

"I want you clinging to me so hard, I can't fucking breathe," you smirked. "And if Daddy really asked you to stick around, then you're welcome to stay here longer, even if he's here... Where I can have you close to me," you whispered, licking the skin under his ear. He stiffened.

"No - you better not," he squirmed when you licked again, adding a little teeth in a scrape.

"Billy," you pouted. "It's been weeks!"

"You're still hurt," he argued, turning on the floor to look at you. "I'm not gonna be responsible for breaking another of your ribs 'cause we were horny."

"I'm doing so much better, though!"

"Tell you what," he smirked. "Next business trip of your dad's, I'll fuck you all weekend - wherever you want, however you want."

"He has one in two weeks."

"Mhm, and you have a check up before he leaves."

You eyed him for a moment, "When did you become responsible?"

"I've always been."

"No, this is new. You're remembering dates and my doctor appointments and my dad's work schedule."

"Maybe I just like taking care of you," he whispered against your lips with a growing smirk. After pecking you lips, he quipped, "So, shut up and let me."

"Yes, sir."

requesting rules and masterlist

Stranger Things masterlist

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

BARRY KEOGHAN as DRUIG Eternals (2021) dir. Chloé Zhao

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

me @ y/n when they do something i’d never do:

like babe this isn’t us ?? get it together

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

Rafe just can’t stop kissing you <3 it doesn’t matter where you are or who you’re with he just has to nuzzle his face into your neck and steal kiss after kiss until you’re dizzy, he pulls you over just to kiss your cheek or press his lips to yours even in the most crowded of rooms because he’s never been so lovesick before, he’s never wanted someone at his side every second of the day like he does you, he can’t get the taste of your chapstick of his tongue and it drives him crazy, he can barely drive anywhere without pulling over to kiss you stupid, you’re late to everything and he couldn’t care less, he’s all over you, like a really big puppy that needs constant attention and you adore it, it makes your head spin and your knees weaker because Rafe Cameron wants you, he wants to kiss you for hours on end until his lips are swollen and there’s something so dizzying about that <3

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

a little reminder: writers are people too.

i think people often forget that writers deal with all kinds of things; personal issues, writer's block, their own perfectionist tendencies, hateful anons, self-doubt, etc. and while they would love to finish a request or their own fic within a few hours, a day or so, sometimes that isn't possible. demanding, rushing or making a writer feel guilty for not adhering to your schedule or preference to how and when you think a writer should complete a fic or a request is quite unfair. believe me, they are most likely already stressing out about writing and posting as fast as they can.

if you want quality fics, then it will take as long as it takes to get them written. remember, you are getting free fics of your favourite characters. by all means, check-in and ask about your request or any upcoming/posted fics they have. writers always love to talk about their work. but please be mindful that a writer needs time to complete a fic/request. especially, if they have quite a lot of requests to write (and they may not necessarily write in the order the requests were sent as inspiration strikes when it strikes). and if they can't complete your request for whatever reason, they'll let you know (truthfully, a writer isn't obligated to complete every request if it triggers them, if they have lost inspiration or if life simply gets too much and they need a break).

also, if you get tired of waiting for whatever reason - although, you really shouldn't considering you are getting free content and a lot of love is being poured into giving you said content - and want to go to another writer to request the same story, then please, tell the first writer you asked that you have requested someone else to write it so they don't waste their time stressing over getting it finished.

writers will always give their all to any piece of writing. all that they ask for is patience, understanding, feedback, encouragement and support. which is a very small "payment" to make compared to how much time, effort and love they pour into every fic.

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

THE DEAL — chapter seven

a/n: i know i was supposed to post this ages ago but i just finished it (even though a part of me didn’t want to :( ). this is the last chapter and i really hope that you guys liked it! thank you for all the love on this series, i had so much fun writing it. i may or may not already be writing an epilogue so let me know if you would be interested in that👀 i love you MWAH <33

warnings: MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, 18+, mentions of sex (if you squint), injuries, angst, hospital, fighting, blood and lots of fluff

word count: 5.8k

pairing: frat!rafe x innocent friend!reader

nav the deal masterlist

add yourself to my taglist <3 (if you want to be added only to the taglist of series you can specify it in the end note of the form!)

The sound of the ambulance siren filled your ears and matched the thrumming of your pulse as you attempted to keep your tears at bay — unsuccessfully. Everything around you seemed heightened and you only wished to be in his arms, to be held and taken care of like only Rafe knew how.

Your arm hurt badly, you couldn’t move it, and whenever you tried to, the pain was blinding and froze every muscle in your body, which was sore and still in shock. You couldn’t believe what he had done and the more you thought about it, the more tears spilled from your eyes.

Unbeknownst to you, the last words that you had said into your phone’s microphone, kept replaying in the receiver’s head like a mantra as he hoped he had heard you wrong.

“They’re taking me to the hospital, Rafe.”

“They’re taking me to the hospital, Rafe.”

“They’re taking me to the hospital.”

Hospital.

A shudder had ran down his spine at those words while the worst scenarios began to fill his mind. The thought of you being in pain was enough for his body to start working on its own, taking him to his vehicle as he pressed his phone to his ear to calm himself only by listening to the sound of your breaths.

“I’ll be there in two minutes, baby, okay?” He was finally able to say as he sat down, “I’m in the car. Can you wait for me?”

His voice was laced with that sweet tone of his that normally would’ve made your knees feel weak, but you needed his touch, so much that even his reassuring words weren’t enough. “Yes, just —“ You took a shaky breath, “I’m sorry…for what I did, what I said-“

“Ssh,” he shushed you softly, interrupting your apology, “none of that right now, baby, alright?”

He had to be strong for you, had to see clear and drive as fast as he could’ve to the hospital because if he didn’t have you in his arms in the next ten minutes, he would’ve needed an ambulance himself. The car was already in motion when he heard you whisper into the phone, “I’m scared.”

His stomach dropped for the third time that day and at that point, he considered himself lucky if he hadn’t had a heart attack yet. He would’ve given up every single penny in the world to hold you. “I know, I know, angel. I’m coming. Hang on for me.”

Your heart seemed to calm down at his words, and the nickname, almost as if you knew you were safe only by listening to him. “I have to hang up. They said I - I have to put my phone away now.” Gnawing on your split bottom lip, you grimaced at the taste of blood and that unsettling feeling came back to haunt you. “Rafe, I’m so scared.”

Pushing his foot on the gas pedal harder, Rafe gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. “Two minutes and I’m there, baby. You can hang up, you’re gonna see me soon, okay?”

You nodded weakly, then you remembered that he couldn’t see you and whispered, “Okay…bye.”

“Bye, sweetheart.”

You were talking, you were breathing and were being rational. You were okay. That was what he kept telling himself as he drove into the night. However, the actual only thought in his mind was that he was close to commit murder and was so ready for it that it was scary. If Matthew had laid one single finger on you, Rafe wasn’t going to hold himself back.

Stopping the car in front of the emergency room, he all but jumped outside of the vehicle and ran inside at the same time as a barrel was being wheeled in. Distinct voices were talking over each other, but he couldn’t make out the words as his eyes fell on your figure. Without thinking twice, he began to speed walk alongside the paramedics.

“Sir, you can’t —“

“Rafe?” Your soft voice woke him up from the trance that seeing you lying on a barrel had put him in.

“I’m right here, baby, I’m here.” He whispered, finally being able to cradle your face in his hands.

He placed his forehead on yours as you cried in his hands and he did everything in his power to hold his tears back. He didn’t want to give you any reason to feel more terrified, so he only let you sob while his thumbs tried to brush away the never ending tears. “It’s okay,” he murmured, “You’re okay, sweetheart.” With one hand, he ran his fingers through your hair, brushing it out of your face.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him away. “Sir, you can’t be here.” The doctor at his side attempted at telling him for the umpteenth time and she was more than close to call the security and have Rafe escorted out. “We need to bring her in for examination and X-Rays.”

Reluctantly, he turned his head to nod at the woman and then came back to you. Oh, but how could he have ever been able to leave you when you looked up at him like that.

“Don’t leave me, please.” You whimpered, his heart breaking at the knowledge that he had to do it for your own good.

“I’ll be right outside, okay? I’m not leaving you. I’ll stay here all night if it comes to it.”

He kissed your forehead, then the tip of your nose, and although his lips ached to touch yours, he still wasn’t sure where you stood and what was happening, therefore, with every bit of strength he had left, he raised and let the doctors do their job. As he watched you being taken away from him and through the white doors that weren’t accessible to him, he made one promise to himself and he intended on keeping it: to never let you go again. He had been stupid enough to do it once and he would’ve been a fool to let that happen a second time.

His hands ran continuously on his head as he paced back and forth in the waiting room of the hospital. He seemed to be unable to find peace, his nervous state was making him want to scream and break something, anything, and the more it looked like Matthew Taylor, the better. He tried to sit down, his head between his palms as he stared at the ground, but it only made his leg bounce up and down constantly and obsessively until the man beside him sent him a glare, and he had to get up again.

“Y/N L/N?” The doctor asked as she exited a room and the sound of your name made his pulse quicken.

He all but ran to the woman wearing the white coat, and he began to ask questions, erratically. “I’m here for her! How is she? What happened? Is everything okay?”

“I’m sorry, sir, are you family?”

He was stunned. What the hell was he supposed to say? “I — “ He sighed and hoped to God that she was going to be merciful, “I’m not, but please, I need to see her.”

The desperation in his voice was obvious and she couldn’t help but remember the moment she had seen him take your face in his hands and care for you, so she took a deep breath and nodded. “She’s really lucky with the dynamics of the incident. However, the exams showed a fractured wrist and a sprained ankle. She presents superficial wounds, but nothing serious and that painkillers won’t help. She seems to have a minor concussion but we’re not too worried about it. We could keep her here for observation tonight, however, I personally think that it’s not necessary, so we’ll leave the decision up to her.”

Rafe tried to wrap his head around the injuries, having completely tuned out the doctor. Lucky. How the hell was that lucky?!

“Breaking her wrist doesn’t seem very lucky…” He muttered, almost to himself, still deep in his thoughts.

The doctor cocked an eyebrow, “From what she’s told me about the incident, it could’ve been much worse.”

Was anyone going to tell him what the hell had happened to you or did he have to punch it out of your ex boyfriend?

“Thank you, doctor. Can I see her?” He finally asked.

She smiled politely, “You can, but don’t let too much light into the room and keep her calm, okay?”

“Of course.”

“She’s in room 305.” She said as she looked down at a clipboard in her hand.

He thanked her again while his feet were already taking him to the room you were resting in. The door was closed and the lights were off as he slowly walked in, trying not to make any loud sound.

Your eyes opened and immediately fell on the person that was entering the room, causing a smile to take over your features at the sight of Rafe.

“Hey, angel.” He whispered, striding until he stood in front of your bed. His eyes stung as he watched the cast on your arm and the elastic bandage around your elevated ankle. He diverted his eyes from your injuries and focused his attention on your face, which resulted in deepening his anger as his eyes scanned over the cut on your cheek and forehead, your split lip and the forming bruise under your eye. His fist closed on its own, his nails biting into his palm, before he finally decided to rest his hand on your cheek. “How’s my girl feeling?”

You leaned into his touch, “I feel sore everywhere.” You croaked.

Rubbing his thumb on your cheek, “I know, angel, I know,” he rasped, “how can I help you?”

You closed your eyes and rested your head further into his hand, appreciating the warmth of his touch. “Can you hold me?”

You didn’t need to tell him twice. He sat next to you and threw an arm on the pillow your head was resting on as he softly said, “C’mere.” Finally, you melted into him, letting him take you into his arms and kiss your temple. “How you feeling now?” He asked with his lips still pressed to your head.

You sighed happily, “Much better.”

“Good.” He smiled in relief.

“I’m sorry for calling you. You probably didn’t want to see me, I shouldn’t -“

“Hey, hey,” he interrupted you immediately, “I’m here. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, alright?”

You nodded and tried to hide your face in his neck, your new favorite place in the world. “Thank you, Rafe”

“Of course, sweetheart.” He sneaked his arm under your back, bringing you even closer to him, and began to rub your hip with his thumb. “You wanna tell me what happened?”

Shaking your head ‘no’, you nuzzled your head further into him, “‘m tired, just wanna sleep.”

He kissed your head once again, his lips restless from touching your skin whenever it was possible. “Let me take you home, mh?” He mumbled, “We can go back to my dorm, you can sleep there, if you want.”

“Will you stay with me?” You spoke softly against his skin.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

As Rafe called your doctor, helped you sign the papers in order to dismiss you and carefully listened to the nurse about what you were supposed to do and whatnot, you couldn’t believe that you had ever doubt the fact that he wasn’t boyfriend material. You were in awe of him and were so grateful that you had decided to leave your fears behind to choose him. You would’ve chosen him any day.

Once the nurse had wheeled you outside the hospital and towards Rafe’s car, he reminded both you and him to not put any weight on your ankle. The blue eyed man nodded and wordlessly unlocked the car doors. Then, he bent down to sneak one arm beneath your knees and the other around your waist, picking you up bridal style as you let out a surprised gasp. Your arms instinctively flew around his neck, one hand holding his shirt for dear life while your head relaxed against his shoulder. When he placed you in the passenger seat, you were reluctant to let go of him, and the medications that the doctor had given to you for your pain were making you feel so sleepy that you didn’t realize you were whining for him to not leave you.

Finally, he kissed your temple. “I’m right here, baby. Let’s go home.” He reassured you. His hand reached out for the seatbelt and buckled you in, making sure that you were safe before he carefully closed the car door. Thanking the nurse, he waved at him and quickly stepped into the driver’s seat. Your eyes were fixed on him, watching his every move as he sighed and threw his head against the headrest.

“You okay?” You whispered, turning your head towards him.

Sweet, droopy eyes were looking at him and he couldn’t help himself from raising his arm and tucked your hair behind your ear, before leaving his hand on your cheek. “That’s not important right now.” He rasped, not wanting to lie to you.

With your good hand, you placed your palm on top of his fingers, stroking his skin and placing a kiss on the heel of his hand. “You’re always important.”

Rafe could feel his heart beating fast in his chest as he leaned in and gently pulled your head closer. Your noses brushed and your tired eyelids closed down. The butterflies in your stomach replaced your previous fear and anxiety, while your breathing began to get heavier in anticipation. Finally, his lips touched yours, tenderly moving against yours as you kissed him with the same amount of need. The more heated and passionate the moment turned into, the more he tried to get closer to you, until his hand was on your waist and the other was holding himself up, while your fingernails scratched his scalp and itched to touch him under his shirt. His hold on you was delicate and yet possessive, showing you that you were his and he intended to keep it that way. Your fingers lightly caressed down his jaw, then his neck, causing him to groan in your mouth at the sensation. As he pulled away and rested his forehead on yours, the sound of your breaths was the only one that filled the silence. Your gazes met and your eyes said more words than your mouth had ever had the guts to. So, instead of saying anything, you maintained eye contact as you reached for the hand that was resting on your hip, felt his fingers beneath your touch before you found what you were looking for. Silently, you slipped the ring off his finger and put it on your own, then placed your palm on his neck and pulled him closer for a short kiss.

“Rafe?” You mumbled against his lips.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

His hand came up to brush some hairs out of your face, “For what, baby?”

“For taking care of me.”

Placing a kiss on your forehead, he murmured “I’ll always take care of you.”

Unwillingly, he sat back in his seat and started the car. Once he had gotten out of his parking spot, the hand that wasn’t on the wheel automatically fell on your thigh, mindlessly rubbing it with his thumb as he drove home. The soothing feeling, along with the painkillers, lulled you to sleep, the ghost of a peaceful smile playing on your lips. When his eyes caught your sleeping figure, the corners of his mouth lifted up and the sparkle in his eyes brightened, because you were safe and you were with him and he loved you.

He loved you.

He loved you.

He loved you so fucking much that it hurt.

He loved you until his fingers ached and his stomach flipped.

He loved you with everything he had and wanted to scream it at the top of his lungs.

He couldn’t understand how he had gone his whole life without you, how he had managed to say that he was happy when he hadn’t met you yet. He was close to crying just by looking at you, that was how much he loved you. He had never believed that a love like this existed, and he surely didn’t think it was destined for someone like him, he didn’t deserve it — he didn’t deserve you. But you had fallen into his arms and there was no way he was going to let go.

The moment he had arrived at the fraternity, he exited the vehicle and walked around it to open your door. You were sleeping so soundlessly, he couldn’t have woken you even if there had been a fire. He unbuckled your seatbelt and picked you up in the same way he had previously brought you in your seat, then closed the door with his hip. You cuddled further into him and let him tend to you as he carried you inside.

“The fuck happened?!” Ethan’s voice caught Rafe’s attention as soon as he had stepped inside. He was in the common kitchen and he hadn’t expected to see his roommate come home with you in his arms all bandaged up.

Rafe shushed him, “She’s sleeping, you fuckin’ idiot.”

Ignoring him, he continued, “Was she in the hospital?”

“No, I put the cast on her.” He humored him, “What d’you think?!”

Ethan knew his friend and if he had started to respond in ironic remarks, he must have been pissed, which was why he didn’t pry anymore. “Need a hand?”

He sighed, “Just open the door of our room.”

Rafe gently laid you on his bed and quickly placed a pillow underneath your sprained ankle like the doctor had instructed. He covered you up with a blanket and double-checked that you were okay.

Meanwhile, Ethan looked at him as if he couldn’t recognize his own roommate, but he wasn’t complaining; he liked the whipped version of Rafe. He leaned against the wall with a playful smirk tugging at his lips when his friend turned around and noticed him.

“What?” He asked, exasperated.

“Nothing. Just never thought I’d see the day that Rafe Cameron would fall in love.”

“And if you don’t stop, it’ll be the last day you see anything.”

Raising his hands in the air, Ethan was weirded out by the mean behavior. “Alright, why are you being an asshole?”

Rafe nodded his head towards the door and they both left the room, letting you rest.

“I know it was him. She won’t say it, but I know it was.” He all but growled as he let his anger take the best of him.

“Who? The boyfriend?”

“They were supposed to break up. She left this morning and she was about to leave his ass but then she came back and told me a bunch of bullshit about how she can’t be with me. And look what fucking happened! He did this. He —“

“Rafe, calm down,” Ethan tried to be the rational one, although the thought of some guy hurting you was infuriating him; after all, you had brought out the best out of his friend and for all he knew, you were a saint for it. “You can’t just go up to a guy and break his nose because he might have hurt her. It’s late, you’re still in shock and you’re going to do something really stupid if you get out now. She needs you.” The last words convinced him. He didn’t care if Matthew hadn’t hurt you, he deserved a broken nose either way, but his roommate was right: you needed him. “I’ll sleep at Dylan’s tonight so you can be alone.” He added, and Rafe was really grateful for him in that moment.

Stepping back inside his room, he was mesmerized by the sight of you in his bed. He was never going to get used to it. He took his shoes off and lied beside you, throwing an arm around you as you instantly reached for him in your sleep. The night carried on smoothly, the back of your head on his chest and one of his hands on your stomach, the other holding your fingers. He couldn’t fall asleep. All he was able to do was stare at the ceiling and look down at you from time to time to make sure that you were comfortable. Not knowing what had happened to you was eating him inside, he only wished to protect you and shield you from anything that could ever hurt you.

All of a sudden, you stirred and slowly opened your eyes. You went to rub your eye, only to find your fingers intertwined with someone else’s, making you smile. “Mh, Rafe?”

He sat a little bit and brought your hand to his lips, “Hey, you’re awake.”

You looked up at him, but were disappointed when you realized you were unable to cuddle the way you desired, which made you ache for him. He held you tightly and that made a certain warm and fuzzy feeling to grow in your chest. You pouted, “I want a kiss.”

“God, you can’t say stuff like that.” He groaned, bending his head down nonetheless.

“Why?” You chuckled.

“‘Cause I won’t be able to stop.”

You hummed, “I don’t want you to.”

He kissed you softly, completely in contrast with the way he had done in the car, and began to pepper kisses all over your face, causing a giggle to escape your lips. Changing your position and sitting up next to him, you rested your head on his shoulders, securely hugged by his arm.

“What you thinkin’ about?” You whispered.

“I just —“ He took a deep breath, “What happened, baby?”

You reached for his hand and held it in yours before you exhaled loudly. “He said he was going to hurt you…and me. He found out about us and — and I have never seen him like that, he went mad and forced me to put a stop to…well, us.”

His grip on you tightened, his jaw locked and if looks could kill, your ex boyfriend would’ve been six feet under ground by then. “He threatened you?”

“…That’s not the worst part.” You muttered. “I don’t know how it happened. One moment I was on his bike, trying not to fall from how fast he was driving, and the next thing I know I’m flying on the hood of a car and then lying on the side of the road. He —“ You held your tears back, swallowing, “He just left. He didn’t even care to see if I was alive. The woman in the car stayed with me until the ambulance came, and you know the rest.” You mumbled the last words as your eyes stung, but you definitely felt lighter for telling him the truth. However, as you didn’t hear him answer or make any comment, you continued in panic, “Are you mad at me? I know I should’ve told you, but—“

He tried to keep his murderous thoughts to himself as he comforted you, “No, angel, of course I’m not. I’m just glad you’re safe.” He scooted down the bed, making the both of you lie completely on the mattress before he pulled you impossibly closer to him. “I’m not letting you go this time.”

You sighed happily and found your place in his neck once again, sleep taking over you for the third time, the side effect of your medications still lingering in your system. You were about to doze off when you mumbled “I love you, Rafe.”

He swore that he stopped breathing — not because he couldn’t, but because you had caused him to forget how to do it. Unaware of what you had just done to him, you slept peacefully once again as a storm of emotions hit the man lying beneath you. Once he came back from the shock, you were deep inside the dream world, nonetheless, he whispered in the silent and soft night air, “I love you, too, angel,” he pressed his lips against your temple, “so damn much.”

—

Carefully attempting to not wake you, Rafe slid out of your embrace and let you rest your head on the soft pillow. You had been sleeping for hours and he hoped you weren’t going to open your eyes, however, a whine escaped your lips when you couldn’t feel the warmth of his body against yours anymore, which made him gently shush you. “Ssh, go back to sleep. I’m gonna come back real soon.”

“Where you goin’?” You muttered sleepily.

Bending down to kiss the side of your head, he lied, “Bathroom. Just go back to sleep, baby.”

“Mh, fine.”

He watched you until he was sure that you had fallen asleep, then grabbed what he needed and softly closed the door of the room behind him as he exited it. He wasn’t going to have a good night’s sleep as long as he knew that he wasn’t doing anything to protect you, to keep that psychopath away from you, therefore, he had to move, and fast. However, he hadn’t expected to see Ethan lazily walking back into their friend’s room, the one he was staying in that night, and for him to also notice his roommate. His eyes shot open for he immediately understood what was going on; it had taken him one look at Rafe’s outfit and serious expression.

He strode towards his friends, shaking tiredness off of himself pretty quickly. “Rafe, stop! I knew you were going to do something incredibly stupid.” He said, lowering his voice but still making sure that he sounded convincing enough.

Unfortunately for him, Rafe only shook his head, “He hurt her. I’m gonna fucking kill him.” He all but growled before he began to walk away from his friend and towards the stairs of the building.

“Rafe!” Ethan exclaimed, grabbing Rafe’s forearm to halt his movements. “Do you really think that’s the smartest idea?”

“You want me to take it out on you?”

He tried his best to ignore his friend’s anger. He was aware that it wasn’t directed to him, although he looked way too scary for him to feel completely unaffected. What Ethan knew was that Rafe had to calm down before someone got hurt. “She needs you right now, what’s the point of hurting him back?”

He shrugged his hand off and faced him with hurt and determination written all over him. “He left her there, as if she were nothing. I’m not gonna let him get away with this! She’s my girl and I’m gonna remind him of that.” Finally Ethan seemed to understand the situation a bit more and if Rafe had known him any better, his roommate probably wanted to kill Matthew almost as much as he did. Almost. “You can either come with me and help me or stay with her and make sure that she’s fine. Your choice.”

He sighed, “I’ll text you if she wakes up.”

Those had been the last words Rafe had heard before he left the building and began to walk towards his car. The first place on his list was Matthew Taylor’s dorm, where he hoped the dead-man-walking was at. He only wanted to talk, of course. He wished to see him, have a nice, little chat and then just simply…break his nose and give him a concussion ten times worse than yours. Once he had found the dorm, he rushed inside, glad that the common room was full of people, therefore the open front door.

“Is Matthew Taylor here?” Was all he asked, catching everyone’s attention and curiosity. Drunk and confused guys looked up at him and he was sure he wasn’t going to get any coherent answer from them.

“He’s not.” One of them replied, the only guy that seemed more sober and alert than the others.

“Where is he?”

“Not allowed to say it.” He simply shrugged, unknowingly raising the blue eyed man’s anger.

Rafe took a couple of more steps until he stood in front of him and grabbed his shirt threateningly. “Listen, you little shit. I can punch the information out of you or you can tell me right now. It’s up to you.”

The stranger swallowed loudly and mumbled out the name of a bar that was right outside the campus, which made Rafe let go of him. Without saying another word, he walked back to his vehicle and drove to the suggested place. Once he had opened the doors of the old and loud bar, the strong smell of alcohol hit his senses, making his nose grimace. His eyes scanned the inside of the building, trying to find the only person he was looking for among the great amount of drunk people. Finally, as he walked farther inside, he saw him. There he was, drinking and laughing with some guys around him as if that had been a normal day, as if he hadn’t almost ruined a woman’s life. Rafe couldn’t have controlled his feet even if he had wanted to, they were already taking him towards the man.

“Hey Taylor!” He yelled over the loud voices mixed with the music blasting through the speakers. The wanted man turned around, confused as he looked for the person that was trying to get his attention, but it didn’t take him long for he was already in front of him and Rafe’s fist was making contact with his cheekbone.

The force of the punch led him to fall from the stool he was sitting on, however, he didn’t get much time to get back on his feet because Rafe’s fists were meeting Matthew’s face repeatedly while a crowd of people began to gather around them. Your ex-boyfriend tried to respond, to push him off, but it felt nearly impossible to do so when the angry man’s assault was unstoppable.

Rafe knew that he was going too far, but the thought of what he had done to you kept replaying in his mind and the more it did, the more he wanted to rip that guy’s head off. When he believed he’d had enough, Rafe lowered his head to get closer to Matthew’s, “Don’t you dare lay a finger on her ever again,” he growled threateningly before he got up.

He was sure to have made himself clear, which was why he was already about to get out of the building. And yet, it seemed like it hadn’t been enough for the other man because, as he sat there with blood all over his face, coughing up and holding his stomach in the process, he called out to him, “She won’t give it up to you, Cameron,” he choked out, causing Rafe to turn around and almost kill him right there, “You think I don’t know why you’re with her? Been there, man,” he chuckled dryly and in pain, “You won’t last a week.”

That was when he realized that the idiot didn’t know anything about what had happened between you two and that he really had been clueless the whole time. Rafe could’ve told him that he had already made love to you, that he had kissed every inch of your body, that he had made you scream his name and writhe beneath him until you had released all over him, but instead, he didn’t say anything. That had been the most intimate moment of his life and it was between you and Rafe, and he sure as hell didn’t want your ex boyfriend to find out about it, but wasn’t he dying to show him that he was all in and that he wasn’t going to leave you unless you kicked him out of your life.

So, he crouched down and plastered a smirk on his lips as he watched Matthew‘s face scrunch up in pain. “Lemme give you some advice, Matt,” he rasped, spitting his name as if it had been venom on his tongue, “Keep my girl’s name outta your fuckin’ mouth and I’ll stop myself from puttin’ you six feet under ground. ‘S that clear?” Finally, he raised and walked outside, ignoring the looks from the other customers, and with one single goal on his mind: make you officially his.

—

As Rafe walked back inside his room, after having cleaned himself up, he smiled weakly at the sight of you still sleeping soundly. Softly closing the door behind him, he noticed the post-it attached to it, which made him frown in confusion.

‘Had to go to practice. See you later

-Ethan’

He nodded to himself and threw the piece of paper into the bin, then he finally sat next to you. He wrapped you in his arms and left a lingering kiss on your temple, sighing in content and satisfaction.

It was like even your unconscious body knew that he was holding you again because your eyes opened and your lips curled up into a soft smile as his fingers caressed your head.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” He murmured, making sure that his voice was at a low volume in order to avoid a possible headache. “How you feelin’?”

He was hovering above you, scanning your face to check for any discomfort or sign of pain as he cradled your face in one hand, rubbing your cheekbone with his thumb. You looked up at him and all that you could think about was how anything could’ve happened that night and Rafe would’ve never known that you loved him, that you would’ve always chosen him, that the sweet and perfect man in front of you was all you ever wanted.

“I love you.” Was all you said, ignoring his question, while your teary eyes penetrated his, unaware that you had already spilled your feelings the night before.

He bit down his bottom lip, holding back a smile as he whispered, “I told you to not fall in love with me.”

You let out a wet chuckle as the memory of the day you had made the best deal of your life hit you. “Yeah, well, you were right: it was hard not to.”

“Told you I’m always right.”

Shaking your head in disbelief, you raised your good hand and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, bringing his face closer to yours. “For God’s sake, Cameron, shut up and kiss me.”

He obliged immediately, catching your lips in a world shattering kiss. Your tongues played together as his hand slipped under your sweater and then beneath you to hold your body closer to his. Your fingers slid down his torso and toyed with the hem of his shirt before moving underneath it and grabbing his bare back.

“Baby?” He rasped with his lips still so close to yours that you could feel his breath.

“Mh?”

“I love you.”

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[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

When The Party’s Over XVII (Rafe Cameron x Reader)

Warnings: mentions of NON-CON, DUB-CON, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP, mentions of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, forced pregnancy, mentions of abortion, forbidden relationship, violence, jealousy, stalking, underage drinking, drug use, manipulation, corruption, public sex, innocent reader, Heyward!reader

��� banner by @vase-of-lilies​ | divider by @silkholland​​

➥ series masterlist

summary: Manipulated into a secret relationship with Rafe Cameron, you’re finding it much easier said than done to do the right thing and walk away…especially when he refuses to let you.

Keep reading

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

When The Party’s Over VII (Rafe Cameron x Reader)

Warnings: NON-CON, DUB-CON ,abusive relationship, forbidden relationship, violence, semi public sex, jealousy, underage drinking, drug use, manipulation, corruption, forced pregnancy, innocent reader, Heyward!reader

➥ banner by @vase-of-lilies​ | divider by @silkholland​​

➥ series masterlist

summary: Manipulated into a secret relationship with Rafe Cameron, you’re finding it much easier said than done to do the right thing and walk away…especially when he refuses to let you.

Keep reading

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

Bonnie, picking up a piece of paper from the table: This is yours, Y/n?

Y/n: Oh, yeah. Elijah told me to start keeping a to-do list so I can actually get stuff done

Bonnie: Oh? That's great! I'm so glad you're starting to be responsi-

Bonnie: This list just says "Elijah".

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

All My Life

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x wife!reader

Summary: Klaus wants to use you in his plans, but Elijah is terrified of losing you. Marcel makes a massive mistake that could end in tragedy for all involved.

Warnings: Mentions of death, mild cursing.

Despite his external levelheaded calm appearance, Elijah Mikaelson was filled with intense emotions that threatened to overwhelm him at any moment. Unlike his siblings, he'd learned how to bottle his emotions and bury them deep down. Very few people would ever notice the turmoil behind his deep brown eyes, but you always did.

650 years of knowing him certainly helped, but it was the 650 years of loving him that really did the trick.

"Hey handsome, what are you doing in the cellar?" you asked as you walked down the stairs.

Elijah held up the bottle of scotch he'd been drinking and offered it to you. "Would you like a drink, (Y/N)?"

You raised your eyebrow and shook your head with a sigh, but you took the bottle from his hands and took a drink. "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

He took the bottle back from you and took a long drink. "Now why would you think something is bothering me?"

"Perhaps because you're sitting in the cellar drinking your weight in scotch? Anyone with two eyes would look at you and immediately know something is wrong."

He looked up at you and you saw a sea of emotions in his eyes. You kneeled down in front of him and placed a hand on his thigh. "Talk to me, Elijah."

"I don't want to burden you with my thoughts."

"Your thoughts are never a burden. I know you and Klaus had a fight. Was that what bothered you?"

He sighed and nodded. He never wanted to show his emotions in public, but it was different with you. However, his argument with Klaus had sent him into overdrive. He was incredibly angry and frustrated, but mostly he was terrified. 650 years of loving you more than life itself and he could lose it all in a single conversation.

You could see he was warring with himself over something. You were worried about him. "Tell me what happened."

"Do we have to talk? Can we just sit here and enjoy each other's company?" He asked softly.

"Elijah," you whispered, "as much as I'd love to sit here quietly with you, I need you to open up. I know you're not okay."

He sighed and reached for you, pulling you into him. You let him hold you against his chest for a moment before pulling away. "Sweetheart," you said softly.

"Klaus wants to use you to remove Marcel and his vampires from the quarter."

You looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"You're the strongest witch we know, which makes you the best option for combating Marcel." He sighed. "But it's too dangerous. He has Davina and 100 vampires on his side. I don't want to lose you."

"Oh sweetheart, is that what you're worried about? Losing me?"

He nodded. "The risk is too great. Any one of those vampires could try to kill you and Davina may be young, but she's strong."

"I'm immortal, Elijah. They're not going to be able to kill me."

He shook his head. "Not any more."

You pulled even farther away from him. "What?"

"Marcel got several witches to help Davina break your linkage spell."

"How do you know?"

"Marcel requested several of the quarter witches assist Davina in a massive spell. My understanding is he wanted to break the link between you and Nikalus, with the intent of attacking him."

"Attacking an immortal original hybrid? That sounds like a fantastic idea. What is he thinking?"

"Marcel is aware Nikalus cannot be killed, however he can be desiccated via magic. I believe that is his plan. Niklaus will be out of the way and no one will stand between Marcel and his 'kingdom'."

"How do you know about this?"

"Sophie informed Niklaus. Niklaus informed me."

"And then he suggested using me?"

Elijah nodded. "In traditional Nikalus fashion, he did not suggest, he demanded. I do not want to put you at risk, especially now that you are vulnerable. We argued about it, which you already know. I've spent the last hour sitting down here enjoying this 150 year old scotch."

Everything Elijah had told you had you reeling. 645 years ago you had been gravely injured and almost died. If Klaus hadn't found you in time, you would have been dead. Once he healed you, he had a witch create a linkage spell, tying you to Klaus. Essentially, everything that happened to Klaus happened to you and vice versa. However, his immortality also extended to you. As such, you did not age, never got sick, and you'd live as long as he did.

Elijah had been irate when he'd discovered what Klaus had done. In part because Klaus had taken away your choice for immortality, but mostly because Klaus had chosen to tie you to him, despite the fact that he knew how Elijah felt about you. Klaus adored you and that has never changed. Elijah grew to accept and even appreciate Klaus's constant desire to protect you. You never had a desire to be a vampire, so the fact that you could spend forever with Elijah without losing your magic meant everything to you.

"Klaus is willing to risk my life?" you asked in surprise.

"Of course not," Elijah stated. "He insisted that you'll be perfectly fine, but he cannot assure that. And there is the issue of the linkage spell...we don't know the ramifications of breaking it."

You sighed. "I can always reinstitute a linkage spell...perhaps even using you this time around."

Elijah looked at you in a strange manner and you were struggling to determine what he was thinking. "Elijah? What aren't you telling me?"

"You can't do the linkage spell."

"Why not?"

"The spell was very complex and as such certain things were required to conduct it."

"Certain things?"

"Niklaus never wanted you to know what it took to perform the spell." He sighed, clearly wishing he didn't have to tell you either. "The witch who created it used expression. And the complexity of the spell required the creation of an expression triangle in order to channel the energy needed to complete the spell."

You sat in a stunned silence. That may not have meant much to Klaus, but it meant a lot to you. "Did you know?" you whispered.

"(Y/N)..."

"Elijah. Did you know?"

He sighed. "Yes, I knew."

You closed your eyes. The weight of what he was saying was overwhelming. Klaus had killed 36 people just to link you to him. You would have rather died or even become a vampire over murder. "We can't do that, Elijah. It should have never been done in the first place. Expression magic is powerful, but dangerous. Klaus shouldn't have ever done this to me."

"If he hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to spend the last 645 years with you."

"Oh, Elijah. I know, I know." You grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles gently. "We'll figure this out. And while I'm pissed at Klaus, I can't let Marcel hurt him."

"(Y/N), Marcel had you unlinked so he could go after Nikalus without harming you. I don't think he understood what it would mean or how the spell was completed all those centuries ago."

You realized he was right. Marcel was trying to protect you. You weren't surprised by that. You'd been a mother-figure to Marcel when he was growing up. Even now, he still cared about you and you cared about him. "I can't hurt him, Elijah, but I can't just let him come after Klaus."

"Yes you can, (Y/N). My brother will be fine. We will find a way to bring him back in the future. He kept half of our family in caskets for centuries, I think he can stand being desiccated for a while."

"Elijah," you scolded lightly. "We will not stoop to his level. Besides, he has done everything he can to protect me for 6 centuries. I owe him this."

Elijah sighed. "You owe him nothing, my love."

"I owe him my life," you said softly. You touched Elijah's face gently and he leaned into your hand. "I know you're worried, but I am still extremely powerful. That much hasn't changed. I can take Davina and the other quarter witches, even the vampires won't be too much of a challenge."

"You're always so confident, so brave. I wish you didn't have to be."

You smiled. "Would you love me as much if I weren't?"

"It is impossible for me to love you more than I already do, but it might be nice to have a wife who plays it safe sometimes."

"What fun would that be?"

**********

Elijah finally agreed to follow you upstairs into the courtyard, where Klaus was waiting.

"Where the hell have you been?" Klaus asked, clearly annoyed at his brother.

"I needed time, brother."

Klaus looked at you for the first time since you'd entered the room. Your expression answered all the questions he wanted to ask. "(Y/N)," he began.

You held up your hand to silence him. "Don't. You don't get to speak to me right now. I am choosing to help you because I owe you my life, but after that, I'm done. Elijah and I will be leaving the Quarter."

"You can't leave!" Klaus protested.

"I'd like to spend the rest of my days, however many I have, with the love of my life. I have no desire to spend them fighting a war I want no part in." You had already begun to formulate a plan in your mind, a plan that would likely take a whole lot more power than you had to give.

"Rest of your days? (Y/N), we can do another linkage spell--"

"Brother, enough," Elijah interjected. "She has made up her mind."

"She doesn't get to just decide to die, Elijah."

"You never should have taken her choice in the first place."

Silence descended on the two men, both suddenly struck with the inability to speak. You stepped between them, magic flowing freely from you. "Fighting gets us no where. I won't do the spell, Klaus. I can't. There's no situation in which I would be okay killing 36 innocent people just so I could live. It's not worth it--I'm not worth it."

You could see how desperately Klaus wanted to argue with you, but his mouth remained shut. You turned your gaze to Elijah and you found yourself wishing you could relieve him of his pain, his sadness. But you couldn't. "I'm sorry, my love, but I can't abandon him when he needs me most."

Elijah nodded his understanding, always willing to trust you completely. He knew you were more than capable of making your own choices and he trusted that you would make the right one. He just didn't realize what this choice would cost.

"If you'll agree not to argue, I'll release you," you said sternly, looking back and forth between them. They both nodded their agreement, and with a wave of your hand, they found their voices once again.

"I don't agree with this," Klaus grumbled.

"You don't have to," you said pointedly. "You made the decision to rile up Marcel. You chose to make this city a battle ground. Everything from that moment forward is on you."

With that, you inhaled deeply and walked away from them, allowing the spirits to guide you where you needed to go. Steeling yourself for the challenge ahead and the ramifications of your own choices.

Elijah and Klaus both tried to follow you, but the boundary spell you'd placed around the building kept them from leaving.

"(Y/N)?" Elijah said softly, tears filling his eyes.

"I'm sorry, love," you said gently. "You can't come with me."

"(Y/N) you will remove this spell at once," Klaus said sharply.

"You should know better than to try and order me around, Niklaus." It had been a long time since you'd used his full name. He understood the full weight of it even before Elijah did. You saw his eyes widen and he began to beat his fists against the barrier as if he could somehow break through it with nothing but brute strength.

Tears filled your eyes as you silently said your goodbyes to them both, knowing this could be the last time you'd see them. Your gaze met Elijah's one last time and you saw the moment of realization cross his features. Tears filled his eyes and you saw the desperation pooling within them.

"(Y/N)," he whispered, voice broken. "Please."

"I love you, Elijah. Always and forever."

The moment the words left your lips, you turned away from them and moved down the street quickly, never once glancing back. You knew if you did, there was no way you would be able to do what needed to be done.

**********

"You just had to have New Orleans, didn't you? Couldn't leave well-enough alone?" Elijah asked angrily.

"This is my home, my kingdom."

"It was, Niklaus, but it hasn't been yours for over a century. Why couldn't you just leave Marcel alone?"

"I saved him. I raised him!" he bellowed.

Elijah just shook his head, heart too heavy to bother arguing further. "I truly hope this city is worth it, brother."

Klaus was silent, knowing full-well it wasn't worth your life.

**********

"Marcel!" you called as you entered the church. You were surprised to feel his presence here of all places.

Marcel appeared before you as if by magic. "(Y/N). What are you doing here?"

You gave him a pointed look. "I think you know why I'm here, Marcellus."

He winced at the use of his full name. You didn't use it in a condescending way, but in a motherly way, which only made it that much harder for him to hear. "You shouldn't be here," he said quietly.

"Perhaps, but I don't have a choice now, do I?"

"You always have a choice."

You shook your head. "He is family, Marcel, and I owe him my life."

Marcel looked down. "I'm sorry for breaking the linkage spell."

You sighed. "As am I."

Something in your tone scared him. When his eyes met yours again, he saw the emotions swirling in them. "(Y/N)?"

You gave him a tight lipped smile. "The spell was my lifeline and my strength. I'm going to die, Marcellus, and soon. So I might as well do it protecting the people I love."

Surprise lit up his face, but he couldn't move, couldn't think. He was frozen in place. He could feel the streams of power coming from you and it terrified him. He'd never believed you would ever hurt him, but he suddenly wasn't so sure.

Davina felt your presence and came down the stairs, trying to fight against your power, but she was no match for you. Marcel tried to call out to her, to tell her to run, but he couldn't. Davina cried out in pain, her body dropping to the ground, hands holding her head.

All over the city, witches were dropping to the ground and screaming in agony. It lasted for mere moments before every single one of them suddenly fell silent, bodies collapsed on the unforgiving ground, minds unconscious.

Your eyes flicked back to Marcel. "You have to understand, Marcellus. I have to protect them." Not just Klaus and Elijah, but the witches too. You would not let them die at the hands of your family.

He looked at you, eyes begging you to stop.

"They will awaken, but they will have no powers. They will no longer be a threat, therefore they will be safe."

He had no idea you held that kind of power. He knew you were strong, likely a product of your age, but he'd never understood the depths of your power. Power that stemmed from your bond with the world's only truly immortal hybrid, a bond that was now broken.

"I will not kill your friends, the vampires. But I will issue a single warning. A warning which must be heeded by all who hear it." You closed your eyes and called out to every vampire in all of New Orleans. Each one of them heard your voice ring out in their head, "You are given a choice, children of the night. Leave New Orleans by first light or die by nightfall tomorrow. None will be spared."

The moment the words had left your lips, you dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. You'd released Marcel from his hold without meaning to, but you simply didn't have the strength to hold him any longer. You'd had a feeling that breaking the linkage spell would do more damage than any of you had hoped, and it appeared you were right. You could feel the end nearing, your body was dying, the power that had kept you alive draining from you.

"(Y/N)!" Marcel called out as he crawled over to you. After what you'd just done, perhaps he shouldn't care, but he couldn't help it. He picked up your semi-conscious body and began to carry it to the place he knew he was most unwelcome, but he couldn't just leave you alone to die.

**********

"Elijah! Klaus!" Marcel yelled as he reached the entrance to their ancestral home.

Both men appeared almost instantly. Elijah saw your body in his arms and he nearly broke down. Klaus, on the other hand, was immediately filled with rage.

"What have you done to her?" he snarled.

"She did it to herself," Marcel said softly.

Elijah tried to get to you, but the boundary spell was somehow still in place.

"Go," you whispered, voice barely audible. "I can't hold the spell much longer."

Marcel stared at you and realized you were protecting him...one last time. He didn't want to go, couldn't say goodbye. There was so much he wanted to say, but there was no time. He had to go, whether he wanted to or not. "I'm sorry, (Y/N)," he whispered as he gingerly placed you on the ground.

"I know," you murmured in return.

He looked at the two furious vampires locked within the walls of their home and knew he couldn't stay. Not if he wanted to live. He gave you one last look of sorrow before disappearing into the wind.

You gave Marcel as much of a head start as you could, knowing he would need it. "Don't follow him," you whispered, eyes locking on Klaus's.

"This is his fault," he said angrily.

"It's not," you paused to catch your breath. "Do not chase him. Just let him go. For me."

Both Klaus and Elijah were silent.

"Give me your word."

"I give you my word," Elijah said softly.

You knew without a doubt that he would keep it, but you needed to hear Klaus give his as well. "Klaus?"

He stubbornly looked away.

"Consider it my dying wish, if you must."

That got his attention. "You're not going to die."

"I am dying, Klaus. The longer you take to give me your word, the less time you have to say goodbye."

"Niklaus," Elijah prodded insistently.

"Fine. I give you my word, (Y/N)."

"Good." You released them and immediately felt a wave of relief. That was the last spell you were holding in place and the moment it was broken, you felt air return to your lungs.

Elijah was by your side immediately. He very carefully lifted you up in his arms and carried you to your shared bedroom, laying you ever so gently on the bed.

"There must be someone who can help her," Klaus insisted.

You shook your head. "Not in New Orleans, anyway."

"What? What did you do?" he asked.

"I bound the powers of every single witch in the city."

"(Y/N)," Elijah said softly, hand running through your hair to push it out of your face. "The power that would require..."

"I know," you whispered.

"Plus the message to the vampires? (Y/N), you don't have an immortal hybrid to feed off of anymore. You can't be using that type of magic," Klaus said.

"I'm sorry you both heard that. I didn't have the power to exclude you from the spell. It would have taken too much of my strength and concentration."

"It's okay, my love. Just rest. You need to get your strength back," Elijah said gently.

"My darling Elijah," you murmured, hand slipping into his. "I won't survive the night."

"Of course you will. You're strong," he insisted.

"Elijah, I can feel it. I'm dying."

He finally allowed the tears to flow freely down his face. It was one of the few times in the last 6 centuries of your life together that you'd seen him actually cry. It was enough to break your heart. "Oh, my love," you whispered as you reached for him, pulling him into your arms and holding him against your chest.

Your own tears streamed down your face, but you did your best to be strong for your husband. You knew what he could become without you...without his humanity...and you were terrified he would turn it all off just to keep himself from feeling this pain.

Your eyes met Klaus's from across the room and he looked just as devastated as Elijah did. His pain was different; he blamed himself, and perhaps rightfully so. "I must go," he said as he hurriedly headed for the door.

"Klaus," you called.

He turned to look at you, emotion clouding his face.

You had enough strength left for one simple sentence spoken directly into the hybrid's mind. "Protect him, Niklaus, always and forever."

Klaus looked down, doing his best to hold his tears at bay. He looked back up at you and gave you a firm nod, acknowledging your words and, in his way, giving you a promise.

You watched him walk away, a painful realization coming over you that this would be the last time you ever saw him. You looked down at Elijah and held on just a little tighter. You wanted more time with him...you would have given anything for it. You'd had more time with your husband than most people were ever lucky enough to have, but you still wanted more.

Elijah lifted his head and quickly wiped his face, regaining some of his usual composure. "I'm sorry, my love. I just...I don't want to lose you."

You nodded. "Nor do I."

"How long do we have?" he whispered.

"Hours, at most," you said softly.

He closed his eyes and breathed heavily. "Where do you wish to spend those hours, my love?"

You offered him a small smile. "I think you know."

He met your gaze and gave you a warm smile. "I suppose I do." He scooped you up in his arms and moments later you found yourself laid out on a soft blanket in the middle of the rooftop garden. You'd always loved this spot and you had many fond memories of your time with Elijah there.

"The sun will be setting soon," Elijah murmured as he sat down beside you.

"It will be a beautiful thing to see before I die."

Elijah swallowed thickly and you felt a pang of sadness. "Let's not talk of death now. Let's instead, reminisce."

You smiled up at him and you snuggled in close to him, wanting to be as close as possible for as long as possible. "That sounds wonderful."

You began to talk of some of your favorite memories, of moments you'd long since thought you'd forgotten, of adventures shared with those you loved. Elijah's favorite memories all had you in them, which both made your heart soar and ache in equal measure.

The longer you talked, the weaker you became. The sun was slowly traversing the sky, beginning its slow decent. You knew your time was short, but you couldn't bring yourself to say goodbye. Not to him.

As if he could sense your thoughts, Elijah pulled you even closer. "I would be remise if I did not tell you what is on my heart. I have no desire to have regrets."

"Tell me, then. I'm listening."

He sat up and faced you, taking your hands in his as he spoke. "You have brought a beauty and a joy to my life that I never would have had without you. You gave my life purpose, direction...meaning. You have my whole heart, my darling (Y/N). Always and forever."

Tears streamed down your face, having no energy to fight them. You didn't have words to voice your feelings, your love for him too intense for words. With what small amount of strength remained, you sent a wave of pure emotion straight into him, everything you couldn't say wrapped in a blanket of love only he could feel.

Silent tears fell from his eyes. "Please don't go," he whispered.

You pulled him back down beside you, arms wrapping around his large frame. You couldn't say anything, couldn't reassure him or comfort him. There was nothing you could do except hold him.

The sun had begun to set, painting the blue sky with beautiful shades of pink and orange. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" you asked softly.

"It is." His voice was clouded with pain, but he did his best to remain stoic for you.

"Promise me something, Elijah," you said suddenly.

"What is it?"

"Leave New Orleans. Leave Klaus. Go and live your life for you. You've spent far too long taking care of others. I don't want you to spend another 1,000 years putting yourself in last place. You deserve better."

He looked down at you and your gaze was so ernest, so pleading, that he couldn't find it in himself to say no. "I give you my word, (Y/N). I will not stay in New Orleans."

Your body relaxed against him, comforted by his promise. You knew there were plenty of loopholes, but Elijah would keep his promise to you. He never went back on his word. Ever.

"Will you stay with me?" you murmured.

"Always and forever, my love," he whispered back, placing a kiss to the top of your head.

Not long now...the sun had set and the stars were shining beautifully in the velvet night sky. Each passing moment brought you closer to the end. Despite your unnaturally long life, you found yourself unwilling to let go...you didn't want to die.

"I'm not ready to die," you whispered so softly that no human would have been able to hear you.

Elijah felt a pang in his chest at your words. The tone with which you said them nearly broke his heart right in two. "Nor am I ready to lose you."

There was, of course, another option. An option you had never considered before. You raised your head to look into his eyes.

He knew what you were thinking from your look alone. "I thought that was never an option," he whispered.

"We've never been in this situation before," you answered gently.

He looked away and shook his head. "I do not wish to make you a monster."

You reached for his cheek and turned his head back to you. "You're not a monster."

"Perhaps not in this moment, but I am capable of monstrous things."

You laughed lightly. "And I'm not? I just bound the magic of dozens of witches to protect one very immortal hybrid."

"You did that out of love. It's different."

"I beg to differ."

He shook his head firmly. "It would be unfair of me to turn you, (Y/N). You would lose your magic...your contact with the spirits, with nature. I could not take that from you."

"I believe it's my choice, is it not?"

"You need my blood, so I think it's our choice."

You sighed.

"I choose to protect your soul. I will not turn you."

There was such finality in his tone that you didn't even bother to argue with him. Besides, you didn't want to be a vampire. You just wanted to live.

He knew that better than anyone, perhaps because he knew you better than anyone.

The two of you laid there in a comfortable silence, sharing what you knew would be your last moments together. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to do. Neither of you were capable of saying goodbye, those words too difficult to formulate.

"Are you really just going to lay on this rooftop and die?"

You turned at the sound of an annoyed voice behind you. "Yes, Niklaus, that was my plan." You were surprised that he had come back, never one for goodbyes himself.

"I came up with a better one. Come, there's not much time."

Elijah stood up. "Brother?"

"Both of you, come on. We don't have time for an argument."

You looked at Klaus warily, using Elijah's body to pull yourself up. "What's the plan then, Klaus?"

"Just come with me. Please."

Klaus wasn't one to beg, so you found yourself stepping towards him on instinct. Your body had other plans as you began to collapse. Elijah caught you easily and pulled you up into his arms.

"See? She's already too weak to move. We're running out of time," Klaus insisted.

"Then lead the way, brother."

You found yourself being transported at an uncomfortable speed. The two men moved with the unnatural speed gifted to their species and you quickly lost track of your location. When you finally stopped moving, you were surprised to find yourself in the middle of the bayou.

"What are we doing way out here?" you asked in annoyance, an uncomfortable feeling settling deep in your bones.

"It was the only place I could find a witch who still had their magic," Klaus said.

"He's lucky I owe him or he likely would have gotten a stake to the heart for his troubles," a new voice said from behind you.

Elijah turned around to face the newcomer, giving you a view of the woman's face. "Sophie," you said softly.

"What are you doing in the bayou?" Elijah asked.

"After I gave information to your brother, it wasn't safe for me in the Quarter anymore, so I came out here. Apparently it's a good thing I did," she looked pointedly at you.

"You know why I did it."

"Yes, but that doesn't make it right."

"Perhaps not, but it was a much better option than killing them," you said firmly.

Sophie looked down. She knew full-well what Klaus was capable of and he was certainly not above murdering every single witch in the Quarter just because he could.

"Why are we here?" Elijah asked softly, breaking the silence.

"To help (Y/N)," Klaus said simply, as if that explained everything.

That uncomfortable feeling inside you began to intensify. Something was wrong, but you were too weak to figure out what it was.

"How?" Elijah asked again, much more firmly.

"Sophie has a plan."

And there it was...plain as day. If you'd been in your right mind, you would have noticed it right away. The feeling of darkness, and of death, lingered in the air. An oppressive feeling that threatened to drown all those around it. You recognized the feeling from hundreds of years prior, a feeling you had never understood until now. "What have you done?" you whispered.

Klaus wouldn't meet your gaze and that alone told you everything you needed to know. Sophie looked equally uncomfortable, but she wasn't backing away, which meant at some level she was okay with this.

"Do you understand what you're doing?" you asked her directly. "How dangerous this kind of magic is? It will overtake you. It will kill you."

Sophie shook her head. "I'm not afraid. Besides, I'm more powerful now than I've ever been."

"Then you're a fool," you said softly.

Elijah hadn't said a word, but the way his body stiffened told you he knew exactly what his brother had spent the last couple hours doing.

"Elijah," you whispered. "Take me home, please."

He heard you, but he didn't move. In fact, he couldn't move. He found himself frozen in place, as if he were bound to this very position. Even his voice was silenced, his mouth moved but no words escaped.

"I'm sorry, (Y/N), but you're not leaving, nor is Elijah," Klaus said firmly. "Sophie, begin the spell, please."

Sophie began an incantation you vaguely recognized. You struggled against Elijah's hold on you, as if you could somehow escape if he would just let you go. It was useless...Elijah's grip was like stone.

"He can't move, (Y/N)," Klaus said softly.

You looked over at Sophie, realizing what she'd done. "Let him go, Sophie."

She ignored you, continuing her incantation.

"They're all already dead, (Y/N)," Klaus said, forcing your attention back to him. "Do you really wish to waste their sacrifices?"

"Sacrifices?" you yelled angrily. "They didn't sacrifice anything, Niklaus! You killed them!"

"To save you!" he roared back.

"I didn't ask to be saved!"

"I couldn't sit back and let you die. Not when I was the cause," his voice softened. "I couldn't watch you die."

"If Elijah could, then so could you."

"Your death wouldn't weigh on his conscience for the rest of time."

"But it would stay with him, in his heart, for eternity."

"I am not my brother," Klaus whispered.

"That much has always been clear."

Klaus looked away from you, finding your gaze almost too painful to bear. "Use his blood," he said, addressing Sophie.

She nodded and you watched helplessly as she sliced open Elijah's skin, collecting blood from the wound on his arm before it healed in moments. She poured the blood into the bowl on the table in front of her and continued her incantation.

You felt a tingling sensation in your body, one that you had felt almost 650 years ago. The tingling turned into pain, just as you knew it would. Elijah's agony was equal to yours, but he couldn't so much as whimper.

"Please," you begged. "You don't have to do this."

Klaus shook his head. "It's too late, now. Finish it, Sophie."

Fire lit up the bowl, burning all of the contents within it. The fire spread around you, lighting up the pathways of a triangle only the dead could see.

When the fire disappeared, Sophie's chanting ceased, and you felt strength begin to return to your body, flowing through your veins.

Elijah's hold on you softened and he found himself able to move again. "(Y/N)?" he croaked. "Are you alright?"

You nodded. "Are you?"

He nodded.

The color had already returned to your cheeks and he could feel the power radiating from you, just like he always had. Clearly, the renewed linkage spell had worked.

Neither of you spoke, emotions too tangled in the moment. He gently set you down on your feet and you felt as strong as you had ever felt.

You walked over to Klaus and turned his attention to you. "36 people, Niklaus. Was it worth it?"

His eyes locked onto yours and you knew his answer before he spoke. "I would kill 1,000 people to save you, (Y/N). You are worth it."

You disagreed, but you knew arguing with him would make no difference. Instead, you turned to Sophie. "This is your only warning, Sophie. Stop practicing expression magic or lose magic forever."

Her eyes were darker than they'd ever been, confirming that she was already lost to the darkness of expression. "It's the only magic worth practicing."

You sighed. "It will kill you, Sophie. It always does." You shook your head. "You should leave...expression is not tolerated here, especially in such close proximity to the city."

"I depart for California in the morning," she answered swiftly.

You sighed again, turning your attention back to Klaus. "New Orleans is yours, Niklaus, but I'm done. I want nothing to do with you anymore."

You saw the look of pain flash across his face, but he covered it with his usual bravado. "Do whatever you want, (Y/N), but you'll be back. You can't stay away forever, especially from Elijah."

You looked at him in pity, words on your lips silenced by Elijah's first words in what felt like years.

"Wherever she goes, I will follow."

"What?" Klaus asked in shock.

"I cannot leave my heart," he said simply.

You turned to look at Elijah and were overcome with love and adoration for the man you'd loved all your life. He stepped forward and took your hand in his, the warmth you felt was nothing more than your imagination, but you didn't care. For the first time in over 6 centuries you were free. Free to go where you wanted, do what you wanted...just you and Elijah.

"Let's go," you said softly.

Elijah simply nodded and fell into step beside you, ignoring the shocked expression on his brother's face, as well as the words streaming from his mouth. "You won't last a year without me! You'll be back, both of you. You need me."

You walked away without looking back. It's not that you didn't love Klaus, that you didn't care, you were simply angry and hurt. The combination of which gave you the strength to walk away, to leave completely without any qualms.

Elijah scooped you up in his arms suddenly and you let out a surprised yelp.

"Sorry, love. I just figured this would be faster."

You laughed as he sped away from the bayou, heading back towards the city and the home you'd shared for so many years.

The two of you made quick work of the packing and then you were off to the airport, prepared to go wherever the wind would take you.

As always, Elijah used his abilities to get the two of you a private jet to anywhere in the world, so you chose Barcelona, a place you'd never been but always wanted to visit.

"Barcelona, really?" Elijah asked as he settled into his seat beside you. "You should have mentioned something sooner, my love. I would have taken you."

"We've never had the time, Elijah," you said softly.

"We've got all the time in the world now, my love. Just you and me."

"Always and forever?" you asked.

He grinned and kissed your forehead. "Always and forever."

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

Kol: What’s up with Y/N? She’s been lying on the floor for like….an hour now?

Rebekah: She’s just a little overwhelmed.

Kol: Why?

Rebekah: Elijah smiled at her.

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

Kol: What’s up with Y/N? She’s been lying on the floor for like….an hour now?

Rebekah: She’s just a little overwhelmed.

Kol: Why?

Rebekah: Elijah smiled at her.

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

Elijah: *turns on lamp for reading* Y/N: You might as well call me that lamp. Elijah: Why? Y/N: Because you turn me on. Elijah: *slams book shut*

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

The Mikaelson Upgrade

When Elijah sends his sister to check on you during a harsh Winter, the Mikaelsons move you in with them.

Words: 7.4K  Author’s Note: So, I thought this was so good, but when I started editing it, I realized it was terrible lmao. But I need something to post, and this is the only completed thing I had. Sorry. 

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[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

My phone screen is perfection (art work not by me)

#fanfic #angst #fluff #writing #smut #druig x reader #druig imagine #druig

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

[it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream]

he's so tall and handsome as hell... and pretty please do not repost