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hungermakesmonsters · 4 days

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(Once Bitten) Twice Shy

Chapter Eight

Plot summary : Desperate to get away from your controlling family, you take a job in New York as a wealthy vampire's blood source. A million dollars awaits if you can make it through a year, but life with Billy Russo is not going to be as simple as you think.

Pairing : Billy Russo x Reader

Story Rating : R Chapter Rating : R

Warnings : [This is a fic for 18+ only, minors DNI] Mention of periods (don't worry, we're not doing Saltburn), smutty behaviour, use of toys. More sickening cuteness. All chapters will contain mentions of blood. Please check the warnings on each chapter if you choose to follow this story.

Word Count : 5k

A/N : It's not exactly a cliffhanger but I get the feeling people won't like where it ends... Oh also spoilers for Jane Eyre (but it's 170 years old so I'm assuming people know the twist?)

MASTER LIST

Chapter Eight

The gentle touch of his fingers on your cheek woke you and, for a few seconds, you weren’t sure where you were. Billy was crouched in front of you, smiling softly. Your eyes threatened to close again, feeling exhausted and like all of it was just a dream.

“Hey,” he muttered softly, his fingers still tenderly caressing your cheek. “Are you okay?”

Finally, you managed to wake yourself up enough to realise that you weren’t dreaming, and that you’d fallen asleep on the sofa beneath the yellow blanket Billy had bought for you.

“I’m fine, just tired,” you told him, slowly sitting up.

Billy remained crouched in front of you, tenderly cupping your cheek and looking almost concerned.

“Did you draw too much blood again?”

“No, it's not that. I did that hours ago. I'm just really tired.”

“Just tired?” He pressed the back of his cold hand to your forehead, checking your temperature.

“And my head hurts a little.”

“When is, uh -” he hesitated, almost looking uncharacteristically embarrassed, “- when is your next period due?”

Your cheeks warmed with both the realisation and the fact that Billy had figured it out before you. That was why you felt so awful. “Soon, I think? I-I lost track of the days after I moved in,” you explained, “and I've never been very, uh… regular…”

Thankfully, Billy just nodded and sat himself beside you, an arm around you pulling you into his side.

“Do you need to go lay down?”

“No I - I want to spend time with you,” you told him, resting your head on his shoulder. “We didn't really get to finish talking last night…”

“Was there something else you wanted to say or ask?” Billy asked softly, shifting a little so you could get comfortable against him.

You stayed silent for a few moments, thinking over all of the things you wanted to ask, wondering what you had the right to ask. “What causes it? What makes you feel like everything is... too much? I’ve only ever seen a vampire lose control from hunger...”

“Sometimes it’s hunger,” he offered reluctantly, “other times it’s just... I don’t know. Even before I was turned, I was never any good at controlling my emotions. And, now, I feel like I’m constantly fighting myself. When I’m with you, I feel like I’m drowning. Everything about you; your scent, the taste of your blood, the way your heart races... it’s a lot to try and ignore.”

Although the words were spoken to you, about you, you knew better than to read too much into them. It was the constant proximity, he probably felt that way around any human after enough time. It wasn’t because he felt anything for you.

“That sounds exhausting.”

“It is,” he admitted, waiting for a beat before asking; “why did you apologise? I lost control but you apologised.”

“Because I -” you stopped yourself before the lie managed to leave your lips. It hadn’t been your fault, as difficult as it was for you to accept that fact, you knew it was true. “Because I’ve always been made to feel like it’s my fault when bad things happen to me. The night we met, you asked me what I was running from, and that’s part of it; I was raised to feel ashamed and believe I deserved everything bad that happened to me.”

You heard him inhale sharply before he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. He was silent a moment before speaking again.

“Who left you?” He asked softly. You lifted your head, frowning. “Last night when you asked why I was leaving you it just… you sounded hurt, like someone had left you before…”

“My sister,” you answered, “she left home when she was eighteen and my parents disowned her because of it. She said she'd come back for me, but she never did.”

“Why did she leave?”

“My parents wanted her to marry a guy she didn’t want to marry.”

“Is that why you left?” He asked and immediately seemed to regret it when your gaze dropped. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

A moment later, you snuggled back into his side and closed your eyes. “How long until you have to go to work?”

“I can stay another twenty minutes,” he told you softly, slipping his arm around you. He was silent for a few minutes, before letting out a slow exhale. “I’m not going to be able to see you for a few days, it’s not safe for me to be around you while you’re...”

He didn’t have to say it for you to understand and, as much as you wanted to argue with him, you knew it wouldn’t be fair to try and force the issue. Now that you had some idea of how he felt and how much of a struggle it was for him to be around you sometimes, you knew Billy needed space.

“It’s okay, I understand.”

You stayed that way for another twenty-five minutes until you gently reminded Billy that he was going to be late for work. He didn’t seem to want to leave you and it made your heart ache to think about why that might be. Though, rationally, you understood that it wasn’t you; he was just tired. You were finally starting to understand just how difficult and exhausting it was for him just to get through a day.

He gave you a soft kiss and told you that he’d see you again soon.

The next morning when you woke up cramping and feeling terrible, until you found that he’d left a gift basket in your kitchen, filled with things you might need over the coming days; painkillers, chocolates, a new smart-watch with a cycle tracking app, a heating-pad, various toiletries and a large teddy bear with a note pinned to his chest.

I thought you and Bill the Beagle might want some company.

Take care of yourself. I’ll see you soon.

Butterflies filled your stomach at the thoughtfulness of the gifts and, later that afternoon, when you left blood for him, you couldn’t resist leaving him a note of your own.

Thank you for your considerate gifts. William the Bear is a wonderful addition to my growing stuffie collection and the chocolates were lovely. Hope you have a good night at work.

xoxo

The next day you felt even worse but, again, you were pleasantly surprised when you managed to drag yourself to the kitchen to get breakfast and some coffee. There was another box of chocolates and another note waiting for you.

William is a terrible name for a bear. I didn’t expect you to get through the chocolates so quickly, remind me to stock up next month. I hope you’ve not been watching Black Sails without me.

Take care

And, of course - of course - you had to reply, leaving your note with his blood again.

I happen to like the name William. I think it suits him. He looks like a William. I hope you’re not trying to shame me for enjoying the chocolates, truffles and caramels are my weakness. Don’t worry, I’ve not been watching anything without you, I’ve been reading. You were right, Jane Eyre was a very apt choice.

xoxo

His notes became your reason to get up in the morning, though they were a bittersweet reminder of his noticeable absence in your life. It filled you with a strange yearning and an uncomfortable sadness to think about him out there on his own. But that was a silly thought. You didn’t know anything about his life outside of the penthouse, about his work or his friends, maybe he wasn’t even noticing your absence.

(Or maybe he felt it just as much as you did.)

Okay, I have to ask; what does a William look like? Of course I’d never shame you for enjoying the chocolates, but now you’ve told me your weakness I might have to use it to my advantage. I hope you’re enjoying Jane Eyre more than you enjoyed Dorian Gray.

I hope you’re not feeling too bad. I miss our talks.

Your heart stuttered as you read and reread those four little words; I miss our talks. He missed you. Maybe not quite in the same way that you were missing him but, still, it made you long for him even more.

Well, in my experience Williams tend to be cute and cuddly, even though they look a little dark and brooding at first glance. Oh no! Please don’t use my weakness for chocolate truffles against me!!! (The extra exclamation marks are so you read that in a sarcastic tone.) Yes, I think I like Jane Eyre more than Dorian Gray - Mr Rochester kind of reminds me of you.

I’m feeling a bit better today, I should be fine in a couple of days. I miss spending time with you too. I hope you’re not too lonely without me around.

xoxo

You doodled a little picture of the teddy bear he’d given you on the corner of the note but gave him a grumpy looking face and a tag that read ‘my name is William’.

There was a strange feeling of embarrassment when you left the note and you almost changed your mind about it halfway back to your room, and you spent the rest of the evening wondering if it was a little too much.

So, the next morning, you felt a little reluctant to go into the kitchen, and had to take a deep breath before reading his note.

Dark and brooding?? I think you might have to elaborate, but I’ll let you save that for when I see you next. I hope that there will come a point in the book where Mr Rochester doesn’t remind you of me quite so much (I don’t know where you’re up to and I don’t want to spoil it).

I’m glad you’re feeling better. The penthouse isn’t the same without you. It’s strange, you’ve only been here a couple of months yet and it already feels empty without you. I miss you.

P.S. Is the doodle supposed to be me or the stuffie?

It felt like your head was spinning as you read, reread, and read again.

He missed you.

Billy missed you.

You spent half the day writing and rewriting your note to him, in one attempt confessing your feelings, in another acting completely blaise about his confession. Nothing you came up with felt right but the thought of not replying seemed worse.

I see what you mean about Mr Rochester... though I don’t know if I can completely rule out the possibility of you having a strange woman tucked away somewhere in the penthouse. It would certainly explain where all of the chocolates have been going.

I miss you too. I know what you mean, I feel the same way, like I’ve been here longer. But I suppose that’s how things feel when you get close to someone. Hope to see you tomorrow.

xoxo

P.S. I’ll never tell. An artist never reveals her secrets.

There was no end to your relief the next morning when you woke up finally feeling better, knowing that you’d be able to see Billy again. Part of you expected not to find a note, but there it was, waiting for you on your kitchen table, just like the others had been.

I can think of a less mysterious explanation for the disappearance of your chocolates, little hummingbird.

I’m not used to missing people. I’m not used to being close to them either. Some days I feel like my whole life has turned upside down since I met you. I can’t wait to see you again.

P.S. I think it’s magicians that never reveal their secrets, not artists.

Again, he left you searching for deeper meaning in every word, your heart aching for a man who seemed so lonely and alone, a man who didn’t deserve that life at all.

After breakfast you showered and washed your hair, wanting to look your best when you saw him again.

Slowly but surely, over the course of the day, your nerves started to eat away at you; what were you going to say to him? Were you going to pretend that the notes hadn’t happened and that their contents was just idle talk to help the other feel less alone?

You couldn’t sit still as you waited, counting down the hours before sunset, perched on the edge of the sofa and watching his door. The moment it started to open, you were on your feet.

Before he had the chance to even realise that you were there, you’d cleared the distance between you, throwing your arms around his waist and pressing your face against his chest. Billy let out a breath but, for the life of you, you couldn’t tell if it was a sigh of relief or simply because you were squeezing the air from his lungs.

“Hey,” he muttered, his arm slipping around you and holding you almost as tight as you were holding him.

A minute or two passed, neither of you moving or saying anything, until he pressed a kiss to the top of your head and your grip on him started to loosen. You didn’t pull away, but gave yourself enough space to look up at him, smiling shyly as your cheeks started to warm.

“Hi.”

“Hi, hummingbird.”

Neither of you seemed to know what to do or where you were supposed to go from there so, again, you both fell silent, still holding each other. Finally, you dared to reach for him, placing your hand on his cheek. His eyes closed and he leaned into your touch, and butterflies began to swarm in your stomach. Before you could talk yourself out of it, you lifted onto your tiptoes and pressed your lips to his.

It was a soft, chaste kiss, nothing at all compared to some of the kisses that you’d shared, but you felt his lips pull into a smile against yours before his eyes finally opened again.

“I missed you,” he admitted in little more than a whisper.

His hand moved to rest on your neck and you found yourself glad of his cold touch after what seemed like so long without it.

“I missed you too,” you confessed, “I - I missed you more than I probably should have.”

If Billy understood what you were trying to tell him, he didn’t show it. Instead, he just shook his head and smiled before kissing you again.

You sank against him letting him deepen the kiss and turn it into something else, something new. Normally when he kissed you it felt explosive and desperate, like he was laying claim to you, but this kiss was tender and filled with longing, like he was savouring being with you again. It stole the breath from your lungs.

“I missed you,” he muttered again.

“You already said that.”

“I know, I just -” his head shook, and he let out a huffed laugh, “- this has felt like one of the longest weeks of my life.”

“Have you been okay? Was it -” you hesitated, not sure you wanted to ask the question, “- was it easier without me around?”

Billy pulled back a little, frowning. “Why would it be easier?”

“The other night, you said you feel like you’re drowning when you’re with me,” you shrugged a little, letting your gaze drop for a moment.

Before the notes, you’d assumed that everyone made him feel that way, that it was just part of being a vampire for him. But, now, after his last note and after that kiss, part of you longed for him to admit that it was more, that it was you, that he felt something for you, that he cared.

“I was wrong,” he told you, waiting until you looked up again to continue, “I feel like I’m drowning without you.”

“Oh.” Whatever you’d expected, it hadn’t been that.

“It’s a lot. I know it’s a lot -”

“No,” you shook your head, “no, it’s not.”

“I wish I could’ve met you in another life. I wish it wasn’t like this.”

The words caused your chest to ache, understand what he was saying and why because you felt the same way; the situation was a mess and all either of you could do was make the best of it.

There was more you could say - more you wanted to say - but it didn’t feel like the right time, and it wasn’t fair for you to try and push anything when you had every intention of leaving him once you’d finished your year. So, instead, you pressed yourself against him and hugged him tight.

Once you’d managed to pull away from each other, you spent the next hour sitting with him on the sofa, talking while he drank, trading gentle touches and kisses until he needed to leave. You followed him to the elevator, not sure if he was keeping hold of your hand or if it was the other way around.

It took a couple of weeks for things to start to return to some sort of normal between you.

Karen noticed the first time she saw you, mentioning that you seemed distracted as you walked through Central Park together (thankfully with no sign of Madani in sight), but she didn’t bring it up until you were sitting together a week later, having lunch in a little coffee shop.

“Is everything alright with you and Billy?” She asked, deciding to just go for it.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” you answered. And it was fine. You were happy. You just could stop thinking about what he’d said to you and how you wished that things could be just a little bit different so you could both be happy.

“I know Billy’s my friend and you don’t really know me all that well, but you can talk to me if something’s bothering you. Or if he’s done something to bother you.”

There was something in her voice, something knowing that you really didn’t like. But how could she know what was going on with you and Billy, when you didn’t even know yourself?

“Everything’s fine, honestly. It’s great, actually. We’ve been really getting on lately; we’ve been hanging out talking about books and I’ve been making him watch Black Sail on Netflix,” you told her.

Karen nodded, though it didn’t look like she believed you, but she let it drop, leaving you with the sneaking suspicion that she knew a little more about the way Billy was than she wanted to let on.

Your quiet evenings with Billy slowly started to become a little more physical again, though neither of you seemed in a rush to try and push for sex again. Instead, most evenings he’d end up with his head between your thighs, or you’d slip your hand into his pants while you made out. And, even though you found yourself longing for more, you didn’t want to push him. No, you wanted to take things slowly, wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t get overwhelmed again before you took that next step.

Time seemed to fly by and it wasn’t long before the whole penthouse was being turned upside down in anticipation of Billy’s big party; live music, caterers, decorators and, of course, more blood than you felt comfortable seeing in one place. The whole place was transformed over the course of three days and, when the night finally came, you felt almost sick with nerves.

Even Billy had a strange energy about him, checking and double checking every little thing, including a security team from his company whose presence he seemed reluctant to explain to you. You watched from the sofa as he led them around the apartment, explaining where he wanted them and which areas of the penthouse were off-limits. He introduced you to one of them, a human man called Curtis who would be spending the night near the door to your quarters if you needed any help during the night (and, again, Billy didn’t explain what that meant).

A couple of hours before the guests were due to arrive, you went to shower and draw blood before doing your hair and makeup, and getting changed into your dress and shoes. For a few minutes you found yourself staring at your reflection, hoping to find some of the confidence you’d had that night in the dressing room with Billy.

When you stepped out into the penthouse, it only took a moment for his eyes to find you, his jaw threatening to drop as he took in the sight of you. His appearance had the same effect on you; his well tailored tux had you biting your lip.

“Wow, Russo, you really know how to pick them,” Curtis called across the penthouse, earning himself a withering look from Billy and causing your cheeks to heat.

Billy made his way towards you, not bothering to hide the way his eyes were taking in every inch of you. When he reached you, he placed a hand on your hip and kissed your cheek.

“I got you a present,” he told you, using his hand to start guiding you towards the library, pausing momentarily to tell Curtis and his team that they could go take a break before the party started.

Your heart was hammering in your chest as he led you into the library and towards the seldom used desk by the window. Waiting for you were three boxes, each beautifully wrapped in silver paper and tied with black ribbon. Without thought, you found yourself gripping Billy’s arm as your legs threatened to turn to jello beneath you.

He smiled softly, picking up the first box and handing it to you.

“Open it,” he instructed, managing to sound as excited as you felt about this whole exchange.

It felt wrong to destroy the immaculate wrapping, so you took your time, carefully untying the ribbon and peeling open the paper to get at the box. You removed the lid and there, in amongst black tissue paper was an ornate black and silver mask.

“It’s for the party tonight,” he told you when you looked at him for clarification, “we wear the masks until midnight and then take them off. It’s supposed to symbolise vampires being seen by society, but really it’s just an excuse to have fun while no one knows who you are.”

You laughed, head shaking. “Thank you, it’s beautiful.”

But he didn’t give you time to linger, gently taking the box and mask from your hand before offering you the next present, seeming to get more eager with each passing second. He was practically vibrating with excitement.

Your breath caught as you opened the second box. It was a beautiful choker style necklace with diamanté detailing - at least, you assumed that it was diamanté because you couldn’t even start to imagine how much it would have cost if they were real diamonds. For a few seconds you were lost for words.

“Here, let me,” he offered, pulling the necklace from the box before you even had the chance to answer him. Billy stepped behind you, gently draping it around your neck and fastening it for you.

Your fingers immediately reached up to touch it; it felt a little heavy around your neck and you’d never had a choker style necklace before, but the feel of it would be a constant reminder of Billy and you loved that.

“Thank you, Billy,” you finally managed, turning and wrapping your arms around him before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“There’s one more.” He reached for the last present but seemed a little more reluctant to hand it to you.

And once you’d opened it, you understood why.

“Oh...” said somewhere between shock and confusion.

You weren’t sure what you’d been expecting, especially not after the mask and the choker, but a new sex toy certainly wasn’t it. Your cheeks heated as you looked at the box, trying to make sense of it, the words discreet and remote play only confused you more.

“I want you to wear this for the party,” he told you, a hint of nervousness in his voice, “if you want to, I mean. If it’s too much, I get it. I just - I thought we could have some fun. And there’s going to be so many people, I guess I want to know you’ll spend the night thinking about me...”

Your cheeks continued to burn, part horrified by the notion, but a much larger part couldn’t help but find the idea interesting, arousing even. And, after everything that had happened between you, part of you was still longing for more.

“You want me to spend the night thinking about you?” You asked quietly.

“More than anything,” he answered in little more than a whisper, like he knew it was something he shouldn’t say.

It felt like your heart leapt into your throat for a few seconds and you struggled to swallow around it. All you could think about was that night a couple of weeks ago, how he told you it felt like he was drowning when he wasn’t with you, and you knew that you couldn’t say no to him. (You didn’t want to say no to him.)

“Okay,” you finally answered, “how do I...?”

“Let me,” he offered, perhaps a little too eagerly, taking the box from your hand, muttering something about how he’d cleaned it and charged it ready before wrapping it.

You bit your lip, watching as he pulled the purple silicone toy out of the box, knowing that he could hear your heart pounding. Then he kissed you, slipping his tongue between your lips and enjoying you for a few moments. When he pulled back he began to trace your lips with the tip of the toy before slipping it into your mouth, causing your cheeks to burn hotter.

You watched him suck his fingers, leaving them glistening with saliva before dropping to his knees and slipping them beneath your dress and into your panties. His free hand nudged your knee and you parted your trembling legs a little further while his fingers stirred between your folds, wetting you before slowly slipping into you.

You moaned softly as his fingers slowly started to pump inside you, twisting and bending, easily finding that special spot.

Your hands gripped his shoulders, feeling like your legs were going to give out. Another soft moan escaped you when he looked up at you, holding your gaze as his fingers filled you, over and over. You clenched around him as he licked his lips, knowing that he was imagining the taste of your arousal on his tongue.

“You can come whenever you need to,” he told you, smiling up at you like he was in awe of you.

“Billy...” you moaned, your voice muffled by the toy in your mouth, hating how close you were to falling apart.

Your walls clenched and tightened around his fingers again, but you were already so wet that you couldn’t hold onto him or make him slow. There was something about all of this that seemed so obscene, so dirty, and it just made you want it ever more. His fingers hit that sweet spot one more time and it was enough to push you over the edge. Your legs started to tremble and your thighs pressed together, trying to keep his fingers inside you.

And, all the while, Billy smiled up at you.

A needy whine slipped out when he pulled away his hand, but you soon fell silent when he took the toy from your mouth. Your eyes fixed on the bookshelf behind Billy as he inserted the toy, suddenly feeling embarrassed despite everything you’d just let him do. Once he was done, he straightened your panties and made sure your dress was perfect.

Shifting your weight between your legs, you tried to get used to the feeling of the toy while Billy stood up and took out his phone.

“Let’s give it a little test,” he said with an almost mischievous grin on his lips that caused you thighs to clench. Something told you he was going to enjoy this. A lot.

A sudden whimper was pulled from you as the toy started to vibrate.

Billy’s grin grew as his finger swiped on his phone, causing the vibrations to intensify. As good as it felt, a mixture of shame and concern threatened to ruin the moment.

“What?” Billy asked, stopping the vibrations the moment he noticed your discomfort. “If it’s too much, you don’t have to do this.”

“I want to,” you answered shyly, a little embarrassed by just how much you wanted to, “It’s just... what if someone realises?”

He offered a soft smile, placing a hand on your cheek.

“They won’t,” he told you with confidence. “It’ll be too noisy for anyone to hear it, and you’ll be good; you won’t come until we’re alone together and I give you permission.”

His thumb tenderly caressed your cheek as he leaned in to kiss you, his tongue slipping between your lips and wiping away any misgivings you might have had. You wanted to do this. You wanted to give Billy the comfort of knowing that you were thinking about him all night. And you wanted to do it for yourself too. You’d wanted to have new experiences and this was definitely new for you.

“Come on,” he said, slipping his hand into yours, “let’s go have a glass of wine and wait for the guests to arrive. It’s going to be a long night...”

End Note : So, originally, this chapter and the party were going all be one chapter, but then I got carried away with the cute notes between reader and Billy. That means next week will be a whole chapter of party shenanigans.

As always, thanks for reading/commenting/liking/reblogging, hope you're enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Have a great weekend!

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged in future chapters! If tagging doesn't work for some reason (aka Tumblr being dumb) I post most Fridays around 7:30 gmt.

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greensagephase · 9 months

Text

Nonviolent Communication - Part Eight

Miguel O'Hara x SpideyFemReader

Summary: Your spider senses go off in the middle of the night, and you can't figure out why. Miguel goes out on a mission alone.

Word Count: 14,258 (I think I can safely say this will be the last time it ever gets to this. I thought about splitting this part but didn't want to leave you guys on a cliffhanger.)

Warnings: Some violence; mention of blood; explosions; angst; death

Music inspo while writing (in order):

"Sleepwalk" - Santo & Johnny (instrumental)

"Les" - Childish Gambino (instrumental)

"Adrian" - Bill Conti (instrumental) (I watched some of the "Rocky" movies and thought this song was so beautiful and tender)

"Amor Eterno" (instrumental) (iykyk, and I'm sorry if you do)

***Beautiful fanart for Nonviolent Communication has been created by lovely artists and you can find it all linked in my masterlist under fanart. Please go and show some love to the artists!! Their art is BEAUTIFUL!! ❤️***

Part Eight

“The tension in the room right now is palpable,” Pav mutters as you and him stand side by side in Peter and Mary Jane’s living room.

“My bet is on Miles,” you reply quietly.

“Hm, I think Noir has this one,” he replies as the two of you look over at Miles and Noir.

“Miles has this in the bag,” Hobie murmurs behind you and Pav, making both of you turn around to look at him.

The three of you watch behind a couch as Miles and Noir, who are sitting on the floor around the living room’s console table, eye each other as they play UNO. The group started out with them, Hobie, Gwen, Pav, and you while Peter, Mary Jane, Penny, Margo, and Peter Porker watched. You were unfortunately the third one out followed by Hobie, leaving Noir and Miles as the two final players.

The others are watching from the couch, trying to hold their giggles. It’s Friday night, which means you and the rest of the group came over for dinner at Peter and Mary Jane’s universe. It’s a weekly dinner and one you’ve learned to love. It gives you something to look forward to on the weekend because it means you and your friends can relax and engage outside of work.

Peter and Mary Jane cook but the rest of you bring something over, which means that there’s usually a large dinner. Dinner always takes about an hour or so since you all catch up on what’s happening in your lives, which means that each week you and the other adults get to hear the younger people talk about school and some new drama. Of course, there’s also some talk about missions and anomalies considering most of you are spider-people. Then, after helping Peter and Mary Jane clean up, you all gather in the living room to play games.

Ten minutes later, Miles wins the game and Noir complains about the cards’ colors. After a good laugh, you all have a slice of cake, which you baked yourself, before everyone starts heading out. You say your goodbyes and thank Peter and Mary Jane for dinner before you head back to your universe. You change into your pajamas almost immediately, but you don’t head to bed just yet.

Instead, you grab a book from your bookshelf and take a seat on your couch. It’s ten p.m. on a rainy Friday night. You look around your apartment as you snuggle onto the couch with a blanket thrown over your legs. You open the book but you look up, your eyes taking in your small apartment.

It's officially four years since Peter’s death. His death anniversary was a couple of days ago and of course, there were some tears but for the most part, you handled it well. You visited him and spent some time at the cemetery. You went through some photo albums, taking a walk down memory lane.

Four years.

Where did the time go? You sigh as you look around your apartment. Time has gone by, but it doesn’t seem like it did in your apartment. It still looks the same as it did back when Peter was alive. It’s a personal choice. You wanted to keep everything the same. So, you have the same wall decorations the two of you hung together. The furniture is unchanged and it all remains in the original places you and Peter chose back in the day.

As you hear the soft pit pat of rain on your windows, you feel the urge to change some things around. Or maybe add new things.

You nod to yourself, thinking of what you’d like to do but decide to leave that for another day. It’s already a good sign you’re thinking of redecorating a little bit. You turn back to the book and begin to read, hoping that the reading and calm rain will lure you to sleep, which won’t be hard as you’re already feeling exhausted from the missions you were a part of today plus the patrolling of your city.

Soon enough, you notice your eyes begin to skip lines and you’re having to find your place multiple times. You decide to call it a night when you see it’s midnight. You do your night routine before you slide into bed, drifting off without any trouble.

Miguel stares at one of his many monitors, standing on his platform. His eyes scan the information before him despite it being two in the morning. He scrolls a bit to see more information. It’s all the data that was collected the previous day on anomaly matter from multiple universes. Of course, Lyla reads the information and always lets him know when there’s something worth discussing but Miguel often prefers to go in and check himself. As he finishes reading the data from a specific section, he stretches his back to relieve some of the tension. He hears his back pop, and he sighs in relief before he returns to reading.

Miguel has been sleeping once a week at his penthouse for multiple weeks now but tonight is not one of those nights. Tonight, he’ll stay here in his empty lab like most nights. Even if he wanted to go home, he can’t. He feels restless. He notices the time on his monitors, of course. He finds himself wishing it was day already and he doesn’t know why. He sighs to himself, closing his eyes for a few seconds trying to regain his focus, so he can concentrate on the data, but he cannot. His fingers move on their own and soon, he’s looking at a video of himself and Gabriella, when he gifted her a soccer ball. He stares at the video fondly, remembering her happiness when she saw the gift. He closes it before he gets off his platform with another sigh and begins to walk out of his lab.

He exits his lab into one of the many hallways of HQ, deciding to take a walk to clear his mind. Miguel doesn’t really pay attention to where he’s going. He’s just walking. He does this sometimes when his brain needs a moment during the long nights. He walks the empty hallways and cafeteria, eyes scanning the city from behind the large windows. He cannot make much of it due to the rain falling against the glass, which has created a blurry effect. Still, Miguel can see the faint lights of flying cars and other buildings’ lights in the distance.

He walks and walks. It’s early Saturday morning and here he is, walking through an empty HQ. He eventually returns to his lab. His mind feels more at ease but there’s still something that gnaws at him. He resumes his work at his platform, scanning his monitors. Everything looks fine. He sighs again and begins to read the data, but that feeling is still there. It’s like Miguel knows that at any moment, Lyla will appear and tell him that something’s wrong.

He moves the screen closer, willing himself to concentrate. To ignore the feeling, but five minutes later, one of his screens flashes red and Lyla appears.

“Miguel – two anomalies have been detected. Earth-42. They just entered the universe.”

And there it is. Miguel’s mask immediately covers his face as he leaps off his platform.

“Two anomalies… Who are they? Are they in the system?” Miguel asks as he starts clicking on his gizmo, preparing to open a portal to travel.

“One of them is a Green Goblin version. The other one is not in our system. First time,” Lyla reports.

Miguel nods, wasting no time once the portal opens. He steps out onto a rooftop on Earth-42, the same one that was cleaned up by Miles and his variant from this Earth over a year ago when he ended up sent here by the Go Home Machine. As Miguel steps out onto a rooftop, he’s unable to stop himself from briefly scanning the city. What a difference. The city is well lit, calm, and there’s still a buzz of people despite the time and rain but Miguel quickly focuses on the task at hand, putting his thoughts behind.

He looks around the area, trying to catch sight of the anomalies. He spots the first one, an unknown anomaly running in circles on the street below. There’s no sight of the Green Goblin, however, so he decides to catch this strange anomaly first and then pursue the Green Goblin.

As he heads straight for the anomaly, Miguel’s eyes scan it, trying to get an idea of how dangerous it might be. The body is a white cybernetic one. The head, which is a male human head, is inside a container filled with liquid. Glass makes up the front portion of the container, making it possible for the anomaly to see and a few hoses run through the anomaly’s body, leading Miguel to make the educated guess it’s the way it sustains itself. He also notices that this anomaly only has one hand, while the other arm has a clamp at the end.

Just before Miguel lands on the ground, he prepares a trapper-keeper, ready to trap the anomaly to transport it to HQ. The anomaly, however, begins running away from him as soon as it spots him.

“Running already?” he mutters, as he starts chasing it. “Lyla, keep me updated on the Green Goblin, you know how they get with their little explosions.”

“The Green Goblin has moved further away,” Lyla answers, making Miguel groan. “Maybe you should call for backup.”

“No, I got this. Just keep me updated on the Goblin’s movements.”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

Lyla disappears, leaving Miguel to do his job. He runs before he leaps into the air, reaching an incredible height as he heads straight for the anomaly. The anomaly somehow senses his attack as it turns around and meets Miguel with its clamp, clawing at him to prevent any blows. The anomaly’s moves don’t deter Miguel though as he takes hold of the clamp before he pushes the man to the ground.

The anomaly uses his one hand to land a punch on Miguel’s thigh before he swipes one of his long cybernetic legs around Miguel’s lower body, knocking him to the ground. The anomaly runs off to a building, hoisting himself up by perforating the walls with the clamp.

Miguel quickly gets up, chasing after it. He shoots his web, wrapping it around the anomaly’s body and pulling but the anomaly puts up a good fight and ends up sniping the web with the clamp once it reaches the rooftop. Miguel spends ten minutes doing this: almost trapping the anomaly before it gets away.

“The Green Goblin is moving further away but there is no trouble detected. It’s like – it’s just waiting,” Lyla reports, sounding confused with the behavior of the Green Goblin.

“Waiting for what?” Miguel asks, in frustration as the anomaly keeps leaping off buildings.

“I don’t know.”

Miguel scowls, done with this already. In a rage of frustration, he shoots his webs and catches the anomaly in midair before pulling it towards him. Miguel is quick to jump, meeting the anomaly halfway before he delivers a blow to the head. It sends the anomaly crashing on a rooftop with a loud thud.

“You little-” the man says as he starts standing up, but he doesn’t have the opportunity to finish his sentence as Miguel lands on the rooftop and captures it with the trapper-keeper.

“Finally,” Miguel mutters, as he walks over to inspect it but before he even reaches it, he receives a heavy blow to his head, caught by surprise. “Green Goblin,” Miguel says angrily as he turns around.

“Hello, Spider-Man,” the Green Goblin greets him as he hovers in the air with his glider. “You look very different from my own Spider-Man.”

“That’s because you’re not in your universe,” Miguel answers annoyed as he lunges himself at the Goblin.

He knocks the Goblin off the glider, leading to the two of them landing on the rooftop before they begin hand to hand combat. The two men land blows on each other as the captured anomaly tries to break out of the trapper-keeper to no avail. Miguel notices this and it’s at this moment of distraction that the Goblin seizes his opportunity. He pulls out the Goblin trident and aims at Miguel’s hand, hitting his gizmo in the process.

Miguel immediately turns to the Goblin, retrieving his hand. He takes a quick glance at the gizmo before scowling at the Goblin, who’s about to take another swing at Miguel. Miguel blocks it this time and throws a punch at him, sending him flying. The Goblin lands on the floor, quickly getting up on his feet and like every other Green Goblin in the multiverse, the cunning man pauses for a second, tilting his head as he stares at Miguel with interest. His eyes flicker to the strange device on this Spider-Man’s wrist. He grins behind his green mask before he dashes at Miguel, trident in hand.

Miguel and the Green Goblin continue to fight. Miguel successfully dodges the trident several times, but the Green Goblin only seems to be fueled by this. He swipes at Miguel with the trident, finally slicing his skin under the suit. Miguel winces, pressing his hand to his body briefly, a moment the Green Goblin takes to hit the gizmo again.

“I’ve had enough of you,” Miguel mumbles, as his talons extend.

“That’s a new one,” the Green Goblin comments, referring to the talons, before he jumps off the rooftop.

And of course, Miguel O’Hara never gives up, so he runs after the Green Goblin under the pouring rain. He watches as the anomaly lands on its glider before he flies off, laughing at Miguel. With a scowl, Miguel shoots his web and starts following him, catching up with the anomaly in no time.

“Catch, Spider-Man!” the Green Goblin says pulling out one of its many grenades before he throws it at a building.

Miguel charges towards it, successfully stopping it from detonating but what he doesn’t sense is the Green Goblin coming from behind with his trident. He hits Miguel’s gizmo again with a strength that manages to crack the screen. He swipes at Miguel once more, slicing his skin almost in the same place as earlier before he flies off. Miguel shoots his web to keep himself from falling to the ground.

“Mierda!” Miguel yells as he swings, clutching the same area that was sliced.

He looks down at his gizmo, noticing the crack on it. It should continue working, Miguel thinks to himself, knowing that he and Lyla spent a lot of time making sure the device would be durable. It would take a lot to break it.

And it becomes the Green Goblin’s mission to do so. As Miguel and the anomaly continue their fight through the city, the Green Goblin aims hit after hit on the device, cunningly planning blows as he realizes the Spider-Man before him doesn’t sense his moves like the superhero from his own universe.

“Don’t let him hit the gizmo, Miguel!” Lyla warns, as the Green Goblin makes another swing.

And so, after what feels like an hour of fighting, the green mask man succeeds.

“Migu-” Lyla starts but doesn’t finish.

The gizmo’s screen shatters, and Miguel immediately knows it when he sees the colors of the device fade and Lyla’s holograph disappearing, making Miguel cuss under his breath as he realizes what this means. He needs to catch the Green Goblin soon, before he starts glitching.

The Green Goblin, however, has other plans as he flies off towards a skyscraper. He immediately pulls out more of his grenades, throwing them at the building. Miguel rushes and jumps into the air to try and stop them from detonating and as he works on this, the Green Goblin flies to him, quickly stabbing him with his trident in the stomach. He laughs at Miguel as he twists the trident to add more pain before flying off just as one of the remaining grenades goes off, blowing up a part of the skyscraper. Miguel, who is falling in midair due to the injury, covers his face as debris bursts around him. He feels some of it, glass from the windows, dig into his body causing him to groan in pain.

The adrenaline of it all still allows him to shoot his webs, preventing himself from falling. Except he glitches. For the first time in his life, Miguel experiences firsthand what it feels like to be an anomaly. He feels the shock of it in his body as he’s falling again since his web gave out in the process of glitching. The glitching stops and he tries again, catching himself on time. He lifts himself up onto a rooftop to collect himself, but the pain is there. He looks around quickly, there’s no sight of the Green Goblin. Miguel breathes heavily, the action making pain course through his body. He looks up at the city as he feels blood gush under his suit, where the trident puncture his body.

“Mierda,” Miguel mumbles out of breath, realizing what his situation means. No one knows he’s here. It’s the middle of the night and he’s injured, unable to travel back to his universe because his gizmo is broken. The realization dawns on him.

This might be it.

As the realization hits him, Miguel looks around the city. The rain is going strong, and he can hear sirens in the distance. He must move somewhere else. The tallest building catches his eye right away. He makes one last swing, forcing himself to climb the building despite the pain but thinking that if this is it, he wants to have a nice view. He thankfully doesn’t glitch on his way up, allowing him to make it to the rooftop. He collapses against a wall, next to the building’s door that leads to the rooftop. Miguel stares out into the city as he lays on the ground, clutching his stomach. The adrenaline is wearing off, and he knows it because his body feels weaker now. He begins to feel the pain more as it runs through his body. He can feel blood under his suit, gushing out slowly and his breathing feels more labored now.

Miguel looks at his gizmo again, as if hoping that the device will magically function, but he knows better. There’s no way to return to his universe. He sighs, the action taking more effort than it should as he lets his mask off, wanting his face to feel the rain.

What a way to die. In another universe that isn’t his home. Alone on a rooftop as rain cascades down on him. His hair is damp and it’s sticking to his forehead, but Miguel makes no attempt to fix it. His face – no – his entire body feels cold, which is a strange feeling for Miguel. His body heat has always prevented him from being cold but his body – the one he has pushed to its limits for years now – fails him now.

Miguel tries to ignore it. He tries to focus on the city and the skyscrapers. It’s a lovely sight and he can’t help but remember the day he was here with you many months ago when he assigned you to work with him for the first time. It was daytime and the sight was wonderful. He can’t help but think that you would love the sight even more at night.

As he stares out into the city, he can’t help but also think how ironic this is. Miguel is about to die on Earth-42. The very same universe linked to the whole mess with Miles. It seems so far away now, Miguel thinks. When he was set on preventing Miles from saving his father so he wouldn’t break the canon. It was such a messy situation. He acted in a way he’ll never be able to take back even if everyone else moved on.

Now, here he is. On Earth-42, in a far different city than the one he met when he first ventured into the multiverse. It’s almost like a slap in the face. As if it was meant for him to think of this in his last moments. To see one of his biggest mistakes.

Miguel sighs again and this time, the action makes him hiss in pain. He can feel the blood. The pain is there but he tries to bear with it. He tries to distract himself.

As Miguel stares at the lights and the skyscrapers, his mind begins to wander off. He thinks of his family and flashes of memories run through his head. He sees his mom, when she was much younger and he was a kid, tending to his scraped knee. He sees her cooking in the kitchen of his childhood home.

He sees Gabriel sitting on his bedroom floor playing with his action figures, the same ones he begged Conchata for. He remembers the evenings they spent together, playing and pretending to be superheroes, not knowing what was in store for them in the future. He recalls the times when Gabriel was still so young and had nightmares. He found no comfort from his father, so he always went to Miguel’s bedroom. There, Miguel would comfort and assure him that it was just a bad dream and that it meant nothing. Despite Miguel’s comforting words, Gabriel always asked if he could stay with him, and Miguel could never say no.

“Gabrielito,” Miguel whispers, as he thinks of his little brother. His childhood face flashes in Miguel’s head before it morphs into Gabriel’s adult face. It was unfair, so unfair. Like any other older sibling, Miguel always thought he would be the first to pass away. He never imagined that it would be his little brother. He never imagined he would be taken away the way he was either. It was so unfair.

And as he thinks of Gabrielito, Miguel remembers a song his brother was very fond of. Surprisingly, the music is so clear in his mind as if it was only yesterday when the two of them drove to hang out with friends. As the older brother, Miguel was obviously the driver and Gabriel sat in the passenger seat, playing music. He remembers the first time Gabriel played it. He asked Miguel to be quiet and to just listen to it. And so, they had. They drove in silence as the instrumental song played, and it felt oddly nostalgic.

Miguel’s breathing slows down as the memories rush through his mind. They switch over to Gabriella. His time with her was short but they made so many memories. He can’t help but feel shame and pain in his chest as he thinks of her. Miguel has strayed away from his religion for some time now, but he hopes that if Heaven is real, that’ll he get to see her again. To hold her one more time. To apologize to her for lying. His wife comes to mind, too, of course, and so does the shame. He fell in love so quickly. His need to have a family blinded him so much, everything was rushed. Miguel can’t help but think now that he would’ve done things differently if he could. He wouldn’t have rushed into things. His wife had deserved better than him. Yet, he thinks fondly of the short time they had. He thinks warmly of the time he had a family even if it’s laced with shame and pain.

He lets his mind take him to those memories, back to those days that are long gone. As his mind is flooded with memories, he doesn’t notice the slowness of his breathing or heart. He doesn’t even feel the coldness of the wet ground or the cold raindrops that run down his beautiful face. He doesn’t notice that he’s staring at the city with half-lidded eyes now.

His mind goes through everything that happened in the last two years, including the fight and the multiverse hunt for Miles, which all lead to the last year. And of course, the last year leads to you. Your face flashes in Miguel’s mind. He thinks of the first time he met you when Jess introduced you. He thinks of the first weeks that you showed up with coffee to meetings before anyone else arrived and how he ignored the gesture. He remembers the day you volunteered to organize his lab thanks to Jess’s comment about the clutter. He sees different days combined into one memory of you chatting with Lyla as you worked, your voice and Lyla’s carrying to him, allowing him to hear bits and pieces.

He thinks of the day he showed up at your apartment and how he hated feeling something, which he now realizes was worry. Everything that has happened with you runs through his mind like a show. He sees your face, looking up at him on Dia de los Muertos, with that look of understanding in your eyes. He sees your arm reaching out to him when you wanted to comfort him. He sees you sitting on his kitchen island, eating the food he cooked on Christmas Eve. He remembers the ornaments and how yours was better than his. He recalls you showing up the next day. You brought cake and it was delicious. He remembers the two of you sat on the kitchen island again to eat, that time joined by Lyla, who asked questions as per usual.

He thinks of New Years Eve. You were invited to Miles’s universe, and you were sent to drop off food again. You stayed for a while once he mentioned that there was a huge firework show after the ball dropped, which meant that you spent the last and first minutes of the year with him in his penthouse.

Miguel’s heart continues to slow down as he thinks of the last year. You’re his friend. And he can’t help but feel disappointed that he’ll never be able to tell you face to face now. He wishes he could thank you. For everything. For the days you dealt with his coldness when he didn’t acknowledge you at all and left your coffee untouched. He briefly thinks about your excuse for taking him coffee. You lied much the same way he had lied about his reasoning for checking in on you that very first day. The day that led to your friendship. As Miguel’s eyelids further close, he thinks of how you’ll never know the truth about that day.

No one will.

Miguel’s heart beats slower and his body is cold as the rain continues to fall on him in the early morning. He listens to the soft pit pat as rain lands on the ground as the seconds tick by.

The same pit pat of rain can be heard on your apartment windows. The sound of it immediately fills your ears when you jolt awake from your sleep. A loud gasp escapes from your lips as you sit up on your bed. You sit, listening to the rain in the darkness of your bedroom as you try to catch your breath.

Your spider senses begin to go off, making you realize that’s what woke you up. You hurriedly jump out of bed and make a straight line to where you keep the two-way radio. You always keep the volume somewhat high during the night in case of emergencies but as you grab it and wait, there’s no feedback. Your eyes flicker to the clock on your nightstand. It’s three in the morning. You hurry to the windows of your apartment, pulling the curtains open to look out. There’s no sight of disturbance. If anything, the city looks at peace under the rain.

There’s not even the sound of traffic. All you can hear is the sound of rain but it’s there again. Your spider senses. Something is not right.

You hurry and get changed into your suit, not knowing what to do. Nothing looks wrong outside but you’re out of your apartment in less than three minutes. You swing from building to building as your eyes inspect the streets below. Your eyes search for anyone who might be in danger or anyone who might cause trouble.

Nothing.

You land on a rooftop to catch your breath. There’s a feeling of dread growing in the pit of your stomach. It’s one you’re all too familiar with as you’ve only ever felt this kind of dread once before. You try not to think of it but it’s impossible not to. The kind of dread that’s spreading through your body is the same kind you felt the day you lost Peter. You felt it spread like poison when you hurried to find Peter in the rubble. The feeling is branded into your mind and as you stand on the rooftop, overlooking the city still searching for trouble, you are overwhelmed by it once again.

You click on your gizmo and open a portal. If nothing is wrong in your universe, maybe there’s trouble somewhere else, you tell yourself. You quickly travel to all your friends’ universes within two minutes. Each time you arrive, you scan your friends’ cities but find nothing amiss. The cities are peaceful. You’re about to open another portal when your senses go off once again.

“What’s happening?” you mutter, as you look around one more time, seeing nothing.

You quickly head to HQ, finding yourself in the cafeteria. You walk through it quickly, feeling even more uneasy at the sight of a usually busy place being vacant of any life. Some of the lights are completely off, leaving pockets of darkness lingering around as you cross the cafeteria. You wonder where you’re even heading as you walk past the large windows of the Spider Society building, noticing the rain and the distant lights of flying cars.

Miguel’s city looks peaceful as well. Nothing seems wrong and yet that dread grows with each step you take, growing and clawing at your chest. Finally paying more attention, you realize you’ve made your way to Miguel’s lab. Perhaps there’s an anomaly threatening the entirety of the multiverse, you try to reason. Maybe that’s why you woke up.

You stand in front of Miguel’s lab and call for Lyla. Despite the uneasiness and dread running through your body, you still find it in yourself to ask for permission to enter his lab. You wait impatiently for the AI assistant to greet you but as the seconds tick by, there’s no sight of Lyla and your emotions intensify. It’s like a sign that something is definitely wrong. You call for Lyla one more time, saying her name louder and with more urgency as if that’ll help. Nothing. You burst into the lab, deciding to be sorry rather than safe.

“Miguel?” you call out, as you hurriedly enter his lab, hoping to find him on his platform surrounded by his many screens like always. “I’m sorry that I entered your lab like that, but Lyla is not responding, and my spider senses are goi-” you say, stopping when your eyes finally land on the platform.

Miguel’s screens are flashing red, not the usual marigold color you’ve grown accustomed to. And even worse yet, Miguel is nowhere in sight. You rush to the platform to get a closer look at the screens. They all read “DISCONNECTED.”

You stare in confusion but realize this must be the reason why Lyla didn’t respond earlier. You call out Miguel’s name again, but you’re met with a deafening silence. You take a deep breath in. Lyla is offline. The screens are flashing red. And Miguel is nowhere to be found.

You hurriedly try to reach Miguel through your gizmo, but your gizmo flashes a message, indicating that the recipient is disconnected. Your dread grows. There’s no way that Miguel would go offline like this. You’re halfway out of HQ when you reach out to Margo, the one person you know who can manage Miguel’s technology. As you head out into Nueva York, you pray for once that Margo is pulling one of her usual all-nighters. As you swing towards Miguel’s penthouse, Margo finally responds.

“Hey – what are you doing up this late? Something wrong?” Margo immediately asks.

You look down at her projected hologram from your gizmo. “Margo. Something is wrong with Miguel’s system. Lyla is offline and so is he. I think – I think something’s wrong. Can you please head to HQ and fix it? I’m on my way to Miguel’s penthouse to see if he’s alright,” you say, the words rushing out of your mouth, full of worry.

“Offline? That’s not – I don’t think Miguel would ever go offline,” Margo responds with a frown. “I’m going now to see what’s going on.”

“I’ll meet you there in a few minutes. Bye,” you say as her hologram disappears.

You quickly find Miguel’s building and swing to it, sticking to the walls. You climb it, until you reach the penthouse and look inside. All the lights are off and there’s no sight of Miguel anywhere. You climb onto the rooftop, immediately clicking on your gizmo to open a portal, pulling the coordinates that were sent to you on Christmas Eve months ago. You hurriedly walk through it, stepping into Miguel’s living room once again.

Your eyes scan the place quickly before you rush up the stairs. With each step you take, you feel that dread grow tenfold. You pray that everything’s fine. That you’ll only have to apologize to Miguel for coming into his home the way you are now. You pray that he’ll be in bed sleeping for once and that this is all some misunderstanding. You open the first door you come across, eyes scanning the room only to realize it’s an office. You open the next door and find a large, luxurious bathroom. The next room is a bedroom, but you immediately realize it’s not the master bedroom, so you rush to the next door, pushing it open. Your heart sinks as you take in the sight.

Miguel’s bedroom is empty, and his bed looks undisturbed, which means he’s not home. You rush back to the first floor before you sprint to the living room, gizmo already opening a portal. You travel back to HQ, popping up at the cafeteria before you rush to the lab, wondering if Margo has been able to fix the problem. All the while, your dread grows. You feel your chest tighten as you think of Miguel and his whereabouts.

You burst into the lab where you find Margo, opening and closing screens with the flick of her wrist. She looks over her shoulder before she continues to work.

“He’s not at home,” you manage to breathe out despite the tightness in your chest.

“This is – not looking good,” Margo says, making you freeze.

“What do you mean it’s not looking good?” you ask, staring at her back as she continues to work. Her words make your anxiety grow.

“Miguel’s gizmo is completely offline, which means… it’s broken. Wherever he is, the gizmo is not working at all,” she says as she opens another screen.

You bring a hand to your face, gripping your lower face as you look around the lab. You feel your breathing speed up while at the same time finding it difficult to even do so.

“Have you been able to get Lyla back online?” you ask shakily.

“I’m working on it. Just one more step,” Margo says in a rush, noticing your demeanor slowly crumbling apart. “She’s back! Lyla must know what happened.”

It takes a few seconds before Lyla appears and you waste no time.

“Lyla, where is Miguel?” you ask, stepping closer to her.

“Y/N! Miguel is hurt and stranded on Earth-42! There were two anomalies detected and he went out to handle them but one of them broke his gizmo and managed to injure him,” Lyla hurriedly explains the situation.

“Shit,” you mutter, and begin to open a portal. “What were his last coordinates, Lyla?”

“I’ll send them to you, please hurry! I don’t know how badly he was injured, and he must be glitching by now.”

“Inform Jess of what’s happening and see if we can get other members to help. Miguel may have moved from the last coordinates you have. We may need to search the city for him. Margo. Please stay here just in case we need any help with the system. I’ll keep you updated,” you say before you rush into the portal.

Rain pours down on you as you step into Earth-42. You waste no time in looking around at the city and instead run to the ledge of the rooftop. You lunge yourself to the next building, eyes scanning, trying to find any sign of Miguel. Lyla’s hologram appears from your gizmo as you fly to the next building, giving you Miguel’s last known location.

You swing from building to building, moving fast just as you see another portal from your peripheral vision.

“Y/N. Any sign of Miguel?” Jess asks, joining the search.

“Not yet,” you reply as you continue to swing.

“Others will be joining the search. They’re on their way,” Jess replies.

And sure enough, as you swing between buildings, you see multiple portals opening from various rooftops. You feel relief to see others joining and hope that with more people involved, the search won’t last long.

“Alright, everyone. Lyla has sent Miguel’s last location. He’s injured and probably glitching as his gizmo stopped working.”

You hear your colleagues’ replies as you head to the location. You briefly wonder about the anomalies. Were they caught or did they get away? You reach Miguel’s last location and immediately search the rooftop for any signs, but Miguel is nowhere to be seen. You turn when you hear someone else join you. Hobie gives you a nod before he searches the other side of the rooftop.

“Nothing,” he says.

You dash to the other rooftop, looking down at the empty and dark alleyways, hoping to find something.

“This rooftop looks disturbed. Looks like there was some fighting,” Hobie communicates.

You locate him and join him. Others join you and Hobie in inspecting the scene, and sure enough there are signs of fighting but no sign of Miguel anywhere around. You look around, trying to get a feel of where the fighting moved to from this rooftop. You leap to the next rooftop, continuing your search.

“There is no sight of anomalies,” someone says, making you pause. If Miguel’s gizmo isn’t working and this isn’t his universe, surely that would mean that Lyla should be able to detect him as an anomaly in this universe.

You continue to search but call for Lyla, who immediately appears.

“Lyla. If Miguel’s gizmo isn’t working, can’t you detect him as an anomaly in this universe?” you ask her, hoping that she and everyone else including you forgot about this fact and that she’ll be able to pinpoint his exact location, but she shakes her head, giving you a look full of frustration.

“I’ve tried that. Unfortunately, the system failure from earlier has caused some malfunctions in the entire system. I cannot detect any anomalies at all right now. Margo and I are working on it. As soon as we get it running again, I’ll run the test and find him unless you guys find him first.”

You thank her and let her go, hoping that Miguel is found whichever way as long as it’s soon. You continue to move around, lunging from building to building like the other members in search of the founder and commander of the Spider Society. Your heart races as you search, and you pause for a second, trying to calm yourself down. Panicking like this will only interfere with successfully finding him. You pause and take a deep breath. Your spider senses went off earlier and now you’re sure it was for this reason. You try to calm down, hoping that this will allow your senses to come in. You will them to help you right now; to lead you in the right direction.

You don’t allow yourself to think too long about the fact that you sensed this. That you sensed Miguel was in trouble. You ignore it. That will be something to ponder about later, or maybe not, considering you’ll come up with no reasonable explanation. You hope no one questions how you knew either.

You look around the city as rain continues to pour down on you. Since you arrived, the rain has picked up and all you can think about is Miguel on some rooftop, hurt and glitching under the cold rain.

“Where are you, Miguel?” you whisper, as you do a full turn.

Your gaze moves past it, but your eyes quickly return to it. The tallest building in the city is about ten buildings away from you. You stop and look up at it, rain falling on your masked face. Before you know it, you’re running across rooftops, leaping in the air to reach the building. You hear Hobie and Jess scream at you, asking where you’re going, and you reluctantly answer through your gizmo.

“I’m just going to check something,” you reply, as you throw web at the building now, aiding you in reaching the building faster. You feel a strange sensation spread through your chest as you stick to the building and begin to run upwards. You hope you’re right and yet again you wonder what it’ll mean if you are, but you don’t spend too much time thinking about this. All you care about at the end of the day is that Miguel is found and well. You continue to run, lifting yourself up with your web. You use a combination of running and lifting to reach the top of the building, meanwhile you can sense other members far behind joining you.

And why wouldn’t they when they see the speed and determination in your movements. To everyone paying attention, you’re climbing the tallest building in the city as if you know that your distant and serious commander is on that rooftop.

And he is.

You see his slumped figured over a wall and rush with a speed that almost makes it seem like you teleported to him. You are kneeled at his right side almost instantly, eyes scanning his bare face.

You quickly lift your gizmo and inform the others.

“Miguel has been found. He’s on the tallest building’s rooftop,” you say, sounding ragged not only because of the climb but also because of relief that you’ve found him. You notice his chest moving. Breathing. “He’s breathing!” you add, informing your colleagues.

You notice raindrops running down his face and without a second thought, you remove your mask and lay it over his head as an attempt to shield his face. Your worry for Miguel is so strong that you don’t even notice the coldness of the rain on your face or the fact that your hair is getting damp.

You move closer to him now. “Miguel,” you say and tentatively grab his right shoulder. “Miguel, can you hear me?” you ask loudly, hoping he’ll hear you over the pouring rain.

You take in the sight of Miguel, anguish spreading through your body as you try to get a sense of his injuries. His brown hair is wet from the rain, making it stick to his forehead. His face looks like it has lost some color, which worries you instantly, but you try not to think negatively. Miguel is a strong man, and you know his spider abilities allow him to withhold many injuries. The only thing bothering you is that you don’t know the extent of the injuries he may have. For all you know, they could be serious, which is why you’re careful when you look down at his body, trying to find any sign of injury, but his suit looks intact.

“Miguel,” you say again and this time you cup the right side of his face in your hand, immediately feeling the coldness of his skin even through your suit. Shame rushes through you as you hold his face, feeling like you’re disrespecting him and his boundaries regarding physical touch, but you push past it and call his name again.

And this time, Miguel shifts slightly. His eyes flutter open slowly before they move to you.

“You are here” he mumbles, with his maroon eyes meeting yours.

“Miguel! Yes, we’re here. Don’t worry, we’re taking you back home, okay?” you say softly, reassuring him. “Where are you hurt?” you ask him just as other members finally reach the rooftop.

“I have glass shards in my torso,” he says, closing his eyes. “And a few deep cuts. My gizmo is not working,” he adds softly with eyes still closed, feeling your suited hand cupping his face gently.

You nod though he cannot see you and look down at his gizmo since he mentioned it, noticing for the first time the broken device. You’ve never seen or heard of anyone’s breaking, not even during a gruesome fight since Miguel and Lyla spent a lot of time making sure they were durable in these kinds of scenarios. You wonder how it was possible that it managed to get broken. You shove your thoughts away and remove your hand from Miguel’s face. You quickly remove your gizmo and gently take Miguel’s right arm in your free hand as you’re suddenly surrounded by your colleagues. You slide your gizmo into his free wrist, ensuring that he won’t glitch any more in the meantime before he’s back to Nueva York, so he won’t be in additional pain. You let go of his arm and turn slightly to see who’s made it already.

Miguel opens his eyes when he feels the gizmo around his wrist. He looks at your hands, your wrist now empty. He wants to tell you to take it back or you’ll glitch soon, but Jess begins to talk, giving orders to your colleagues as the second in command, preventing him from warning you.

“We need to get him to HQ immediately,” she says stepping closer. “We’ll need to carry him carefully as we don’t know the extent of the injuries,” she adds looking down at Miguel and you, who remains kneeled at his side. She looks around and calls out some of your colleagues’ names, including yours, to help carry Miguel to HQ.

You and the others immediately get on it. You turn to Miguel and give him an apologetic look though his eyes are closed again before you take his arm. You put all your strength along with Ben Reilly to help Miguel up, but you end up getting replaced by Peter once it becomes apparent that your height difference is an issue. Still, you stand by closely making sure that they don’t hurt him in the process. Someone opens a portal just as Jess gives the order to the other members to search for the anomalies.

You watch as Ben and Peter hold Miguel, walking carefully into the portal. Jess motions for you to go, following closely behind you.

“The infirmary staff is ready to treat him. They should be waiting for us,” Jess says as you step foot back in HQ.

You briefly look around at the infirmary sector before your eyes return to Miguel. Sure enough, infirmary staff approach the three men and before you know it, Miguel is on a stretcher being led away down a long hallway.

A doctor, who you hadn’t noticed before, approaches you and everyone else. You watch as the staff take Miguel away until they enter a room and disappear while Jess and the doctor talk.

“With Miguel hurt, I’ll be handling things until he recovers. That means I’ll have to be away, but you can direct yourself to -” Jess says pausing, looking around before her eyes land on you. “You can direct yourself to her. Y/N,” you hear Jess.

You turn at the mention of your name. You find her, the doctor and Peter looking at you.

“As the second in command, I’ll be taking over for now. Peter, you’ll be my second in command in the meantime. And you,” Jess says nodding at you. “You’ll be my third in command. I need you to stay here and keep us updated on Miguel’s status. You’re also to make sure that his privacy is respected,” she says with a frown. “I doubt anyone will try anything, but I rather be safe than sorry. Make sure no one tries to go in for any reason. If he wants visitors once he’s awake, it’ll be up to him.”

You nod.

“Of course, I’ll keep you updated and make sure no one intrudes on his priva-” you start but stop when you glitch. You cry out as you experience glitching for the first time and nearly lose your balance, but Peter catches you before you fall.

“You’re glitching – where is your gizmo?” Peter asks confused as he holds you, keeping you steady.

You huff in pain and look up as the feeling starts fading away. You meet Peter and Jess’s eyes.

“I gave it to Miguel to prevent him from glitching again in the time it took us to transport him,” you finally say softly, still feeling a little out of breath. You can’t help but think how awful it feels to glitch even in good health, making you wonder what it must have felt like for Miguel while being injured. You sigh softly. “I’ll keep you guys updated. And I’ll make sure Miguel is undisturbed,” you add.

Jess and Peter look at you before the two of them nod.

“I’ll have someone send you a gizmo in a while. For now, put this on to prevent more glitching,” Jess says pulling out a day pass from her pocket. She hands it to you, and you slide it on immediately, thanking her. “Peter and I will be in Miguel’s lab. Margo and Lyla are still trying to fix the system. We need to get it fixed before we find ourselves with multiple anomalies running loose, so we’ll be taking care of that. As I said, someone will deliver a gizmo so you can keep us updated, alright?”

You nod and Jess nods back at you. She stares at you for a few seconds as if she wants to say more but she looks over at Peter, who meets her eyes before he turns to you. He gives you a reassuring smile.

“We’ll get through this. Everything will be alright. Right, Jess?” he says, turning his attention back to Jess as he lets go of you at last, sensing you’re more stable now after glitching.

“Right,” Jess says before she nods at you and gives her thanks to the doctor, who hurries off. Jess, too, departs, heading to the elevator with Ben following behind.

Your gaze moves to the doctor as she walks down the hallway. Your eyes follow her even when you feel Peter’s hand on your shoulder.

“He’ll be okay. Miguel is a strong guy,” he says softly in a reassuring tone, also watching the doctor for a few seconds. He sighs and squeezes your shoulder gently before he departs, following Jess and Ben to the elevator.

You stand alone in the infirmary’s quiet lobby now. You look around to distract yourself. Thankfully you’ve never needed to be here, so you’re not familiar with this floor. You find yourself walking to the windows. It’s still dark out, so you can see the lights on from other buildings and cars in the distance despite the blurriness due to the soft rain. You stare out of the windows for some time, your mind taken up by Miguel and his health.

It's not until you feel a tap on the shoulder that you turn away from the windows. You find Ben Reilly, who offers you a small smile before he hands you a gizmo and a tablet.

“Jess sends this. The gizmo for obvious reasons and the tablet to keep you occupied while you wait,” he says, still giving you a smile.

You take both devices and nod at him, giving him a small smile. “Thank you, Ben. I appreciate it,” you say as you slide on the new gizmo.

Ben nods, staring at you. You hold on to the tablet, looking down at it before Ben breaks the silence. “Pretty crazy, right?”

You look up just as he pushes his hair to the side a bit, and nod before turning to face the windows again. “Yes.”

The two of you stare out the window for a few seconds in silence, watching the rain.

“Miguel will be alright, I think. He’s a buff dude,” Ben says, trying to reassure you. You smile sadly and nod.

You hear Ben pop his fingers next to you. “I must head back now. Jess and Peter needs everyone on board to find those anomalies so – I’ll see you around.”

You turn to face him and thank him again. “Thank you. Please tell Jess and Peter that if they need me to do anything else, to let me know.”

Ben nods as he stands in front of you, giving you another small smile. “Consider it done. By the way, the way you leaped up that building was – very impressive and I mean that in a good way,” he adds.

You nod again, feeling somewhat lighter with Ben’s comment as you’ve learned over the last months that he’s really into dramatic poses and such and you have a feeling he’s trying to lighten up the mood despite the situation. “Thank you, Ben. I appreciate the compliment.”

Ben nods one more time before he starts departing but turns around again, remembering something.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Your mask,” he says walking back to you and pulling your mask from under his hoodie and handing it to you. “It fell when we carried Miguel back here.”

You take it from his hand. You completely forgot about it once you put it over Miguel’s head. You thank him again for his help before he departs, leaving you alone again. You slide the mask into one of your suit’s hidden pockets and hold on to the tablet but don’t boot it up. Instead, you turn your attention back to the windows. You wait patiently there, hoping that someone will come and give you an update, but no one comes. Your mind goes back to what happened tonight and you try to think of an explanation but eventually drop it. You don’t know what happened tonight. You don’t know what led you to sense Miguel’s situation but you’re glad he’s safe now, in his universe and that’s all that matters.

It’s not until almost two hours later that you hear footsteps. You turn around immediately, for once departing from your spot by the windows. Your eyes find the doctor from earlier as she heads your way. She gives you a nod of acknowledgment as she reaches you.

“Mr. O’Hara is stable now. He had multiple glass shards on his torso, many of which were small, so we needed to ensure we didn’t miss any of them to prevent an infection. He also has two large cuts on the left side of his torso and a stab wound in the middle of his abdomen. It was pretty deep, and it will take a few days to fully heal. We know he glitched a few times and it took some toll on his body, so that’s why it’ll make his injuries heal slower, but he’ll recover successfully,” the doctor informs you with a kind voice. “Would you like to see him? He’s still passed out due to the meds, but you can stay in the room with him now.”

You nod immediately. “Yes, please. And thank you for the update. I’ll let the others know right away,” you say, as the two of you walk down the hallway.

You can’t help but feel your heart pound in your chest as you approach the room. The doctor opens the door for you, letting you in.

“Let us know if you need anything,” she says before she closes the door softly, giving you privacy.

The hospital room’s lights are off except for two lamps to the left side of the room and a light behind the hospital bed, where you find Miguel. You carefully walk closer to the bed, your eyes scanning his face under the soft lighting. As you step closer and stand by his side at last, your eyes continue to observe his face. Miguel’s face is relaxed, and you can’t help but think how boyish he looks while sleeping. It’s as if all the worries and threats to the multiverse are nonexistent at this moment.

You notice his hair is dry now, but it’s still pressed to his forehead, giving him a messy look, which just adds to the boyish look. You fight the urge to fix it and instead pull a chair closer to the bed before you take a seat. You remember you need to update everyone, so you send a quick message to Jess, notifying her that Miguel is stable and what the doctor said about his injuries. It takes a few seconds before she replies that she’s relieved to hear the news. She also asks you to let her know when Miguel wakes up.

You sit on your chair near Miguel, listening to his even and slow breathing. You watch his chest gently rise and fall before your eyes trace his face. His face still needs to regain its natural color but he’s alive and he’ll recover. All is well now. For the first time since you woke up, you exhale deeply; releasing pent up emotions now that your very own eyes can confirm that Miguel is safe. Before you know it, you feel tears pooling in your eyes as you stare at Miguel’s sleeping face.

You rest an arm on the chair’s armchair and rest your chin on your hand as you feel the tears run down your face softly. Your lips quiver as you hold a soft sob in the quiet hospital room, unable to stop yourself from crying.

Tonight is the first time in four years that you’ve felt anything remotely close to what you felt the day you lost Peter. The dread that grew with each second as you headed to find him. The tightening of your chest that made it difficult to breathe as you swung from building to building. The feeling that you were going to be too late. Again.

Of course, you know it’s different. Peter had a small window of time that to this day you believe you missed. You felt lucky enough that you were able to say goodbye to him. Meanwhile, Miguel could’ve probably hung on for a little longer due to his powers and yet, you still felt those same emotions while you searched for him. You continue to cry quietly, letting the tears run freely down your face as you watch over him.

You’re unable to stop yourself from thinking the worst. Sure, you are superheroes but that doesn’t mean you are invisible to danger or death. As your eyes remain on Miguel’s sleeping face, your chest feels heavy at the brief thought of something worse happening to him, making your eyes tear up more. You cry quietly, covering your mouth until you calm down.

You sniffle once your tears slow down and blame it on your lack of sleep and the adrenaline completely leaving your body now. You dry your face and breathe in before exhaling softly. The last thing you want is for someone to see you like this. You check your gizmo, reading the time. It’s past 5:30 A.M. and when you look towards the windows from your spot, you see the first signs of daylight.

Miguel made it to another day.

You turn back to Miguel. He’s still sleeping with his head resting against soft pillows. The sight of Miguel in a hospital gown feels so wrong. It’s still strange to see him in anything other than his suit as you’ve only ever seen him in normal clothes three times: Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years Eve. As you watch over him, your eyes land on his arms. It seems that the grey hospital gown is a bit tight as the sleeves hug his large biceps but despite that, he looks relaxed with his arms at his sides, hands curled softly.

You observe his sleeping figure, eyes tracing his arms down to his large hands. Your eyes then flicker to his bare neck and part of his collarbone where you spot a small piece of gauze taped to his skin with medical tape. You wonder just how many of those he has on his torso on top of the large wounds. You sigh deeply as you continue to watch over Miguel, wishing that this hadn’t happened.

You feel a shiver run through your body, feeling slightly cold when the AC turns on. You look at the end of the bed and find a folded blanket. You get up and grab it, laying it over Miguel’s body gently. You bring it up to his neck, making sure to cover his arms which you imagine might get cold. You stand over him, staring at him for a few seconds before you walk to the windows to stretch your legs.

You cross your arms across your chest. It’s still raining, and the sky is beginning to brighten though it remains grey and cloudy because of the weather. You spot more traffic now, too. The city is slowly waking up as you stare out for a few minutes. You turn back around and lean on the windows as you take a quick glance around the room for the first time. The appearance of the room was the last thing on your mind when you first came in and even now you just briefly scan the room. You notice it’s very spacious with a sitting area for visitors to the right of the room when you enter. Across from it, on the other side of the door, there’s a room, which you suspect is the bathroom. You turn to your right now, noticing a screen displayed on the wall, facing Miguel. A TV, you realize before your eyes return to Miguel.

Your eyes flicker to the sitting area for visitors for a moment, making you think of his family. He has none left, like you. You sigh softly, remembering thoughts you used to have before joining the Spider Society. There were many times when you went out on patrols and sat on rooftops, observing the streets below when your mind took you to a depressing place after Peter’s death.

You wondered many times what would happen the day you die. You have no family and you cut ties with friends from your universe. You quit your job, so you didn’t even have colleagues. No one would go look for you if something happened to you. No one would claim you as family.

It was scary and depressing to think of this and so you pushed it away and hoped each time that one day you’d have someone – anyone – in your life. Someone who could say something about you. You hoped that it wouldn’t be so lonely then, at least not the way it felt when you arrived home with cuts and bruises that you had to tend to by yourself after Peter’s death. No longer did you fall into Peter’s arms, who held you for a few seconds before he sat you down to clean and tend to your wounds, comforting you with his gentle voice and touch.

As you stare at Miguel and think about this and the fact that Miguel has no family either, you’re glad that Jess assigned you to do this, though you realize you would’ve requested to do it regardless. The idea of anyone waking up alone in a hospital room depresses you and that feeling only intensifies as you think of Miguel, the man that longed for a family so much he inserted himself in another universe to fulfill that dream when he had a chance.

Only to lose it.

You shake your head softly, still staring at him. You’ve never wished this much for someone to be happy like you’ve done towards Miguel. You hope one day he can move forward. That one day, life will treat this man better. This man that deserves so much more but who has lost so much.

“Gabi,” Miguel mutters softly.

You straighten up and walk over to him, standing by his side. Miguel is still sleeping but his brows are furrowed as he mutters Gabriella’s name again. You stand there, not knowing what to do. Your hands wish to reach for his to comfort him, but you’re still set on respecting his wish of no physical touch, so you settle with placing them near his hand instead.

“Gabi.”

Your eyebrows lower and knit together in sadness as you hear Miguel call for Gabriella again.

“Miguel,” you say softly, not sure it’ll even help. “It’s okay,” you whisper.

“Gabi,” Miguel mutters, moving his head slightly against the pillows.

You watch his face as a heavy feeling overwhelms your chest, wishing you could do more. Miguel grows restless, moving his head more. You notice that his hands also begin to move under the blanket you covered him in. It takes you a few seconds to see that the blanket seems stuck to his hands. You pull the blanket off him gently from your side to see his hand, finding his extended talons stuck to the fabric. You have no other choice but to pull the blanket off him gently, successfully freeing his talons. You look down at them for a second, seeing them for the first time outside of the suit before you return your gaze to Miguel’s face.

“Miguel,” you say. “It’s okay… It’s okay.”

Miguel continues to move restlessly, and you fear that he’ll hurt himself in the process, so you do the one thing you think of. You take his hand softly in your own and squeeze gently, whispering softly that everything is alright. You feel his hand move slightly in yours, causing you to feel one of his talons against your hand. You feel some pain even through your suit, but you push past it and continue to hold his hand, talking to him even though you’re sure he can’t hear you.

You watch helplessly as tears gently begin to roll down Miguel’s face as he continues to call for Gabi.

“Mija.”

You hold his hand in yours as he cries in his sleep, occasionally feeling his talons dig into your skin softly. You softly whisper reassuring words, hoping it will cease his crying as the sight devastates you to your core, but he grows restless, and the heart monitor begins to warn about his heart. You look up, noticing his heart rate is increasing rapidly. You rush to the door and yell for the doctor, full of worry.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ _ _ _ _ _ _ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/

Miguel stands in front of his penthouse’s windows, looking out. The sky is a light blue, and the sun is shining brightly, illuminating the entire place. His eyes take in the sight of distant skyscrapers below soft clouds in the sky. Cars fly in the distance. The city is busy as always. He stands there for what feels like minutes watching in silence before it’s broken.

“Hermano.”

Miguel turns around instantly at the sound of his brother’s voice. He finds him standing a few feet away from him.

“Gabrielito?” Miguel says softly, feeling shocked to see him after so long.

Gabriel gives him that smile. That cheeky smile that got him in trouble too many times.

“It’s been a long time, hermano,” Gabriel says before making his way to Miguel, who finds himself meeting Gabriel halfway.

The O’Hara brothers embrace each other in the older brother’s living room. Miguel holds his much smaller brother tightly, not quite believing that this is happening. Gabriel is here.

“It’s been a long time,” Miguel agrees, still hugging his younger brother.

The O’Hara brothers pull back and Miguel can’t help but smile at his younger brother as he takes in the sight of Gabriel’s face. He doesn’t seem older despite the years.

“Miguel – it’s so good to see you again, hermano,” Gabriel says laying a hand on Miguel’s bicep. “Look at you. You look well! Though, do I spot a grey hair from here?” Gabriel teases, making Miguel frown.

“Very funny, Gabriel.”

“You know I’m just playing but if you keep going like this, you’ll start seeing them,” Gabriel warns.

“If I keep going like this?” Miguel asks, his frown deepening.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Working all day and night. No sleep except for once a week or those random naps you take, which don’t help by the way. Your eating habits. It’s too much on your body, despite being a superhero.”

Miguel doesn’t respond. Gabriel’s face softens.

“Hermano, you can’t keep going like this. It’s painful to watch, you know. You deserve so much more from life, Mig.”

Miguel looks away. “Gabriel – you don’t know the things I’ve done.”

“I do know… and I’m not here to judge you. I could never but I’m worried about you. I’ve been for a long time. Miguel – you have so much life ahead of you. It’s painful to watch you do this to yourself. You deserve to be happy and not waste your life away working day and night because you think that’s all your life is meant for. It’s not. And I’m not the only one who agrees, by the way.”

Miguel turns his face back to Gabriel, raising an eyebrow with curiosity as his younger brother’s words sink in.

“There’s someone that wants to see you,” Gabriel says softly with a gentle smile before he nods behind Miguel.

Miguel turns around, not knowing what to expect but there they are. He finds his wife, who smiles brightly at him and Gabriella, in the arms of his variant, Gabriella’s biological father, standing there. Miguel freezes, feeling a rush of mixed emotions at the sight but it all fades away when Gabriella jumps out of the arms of her biological father and runs to him.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Miguel feels his heart burst with happiness at the sight of her running to greet him. He drops to his knees and opens his arms wide just as Gabriella runs into him. He instantly wraps his arms around her, unable to believe that he’s holding her again. Gabriella wraps her arms around his neck, happy to see him.

“Mija,” Miguel mumbles as tears pool around his eyes, spilling almost immediately down his face as he holds Gabi close.

“Daddy, it’s okay. Please don’t cry. I’m okay,” Gabi says softly, trying to calm Miguel down but he’s unable to stop the tears and the gentle shaking of his chest as he holds his daughter once again.

“Mija,” he repeats, closing his eyes as he embraces his daughter.

“It’s okay, daddy. Please don’t cry. I hate to see you cry,” Gabi tells him, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck. “I hate seeing you unhappy. You should be happy. You deserve it.”

Miguel shakes his head softly. “Mija… you don’t understand.”

But Gabi pulls back gently, meeting her father’s eyes. “I do. I know everything – and it’s okay. You don’t need to be sorry,” she says gently, sounding much older than she looks.

Miguel’s teary eyes meet his daughter’s as the truth sinks in. Gabi knows. Miguel looks up at his variant, who stands nearby. Miguel clears his throat, feeling shame and guilt as he meets the other Miguel’s eyes. He returns his gaze to Gabi and gives her a hug before he stands up, holding her in his arms. He approaches the other Miguel, looming over him. He gives a quick glance to his wife, who nods at him, as if she knows that he needs to have this discussion first before talking to her.

Miguel looks down at his variant and gives him an apologetic look.

“Miguel – I’m so sorry for – everything,” Miguel begins softly. “I’m sorry for what I did.”

Miguel expects his variant to respond negatively. To tell him off about pretending to be the father of his daughter. For trying to live his life. For not telling the truth to Gabi. For everything else he did that he cannot bear to think about now, but his variant surprises him with a sad smile.

“I know why you did it. I understand it. And I’m not mad…” Miguel’s variant starts, meeting his eyes. “You did something for me that I’ll never be able to repay.”

Miguel furrows his eyebrows in confusion, not expecting this reaction from his variant. He feels Gabi hug him as his variant continues.

“Had you not done what you did – Gabi’s life would’ve been very different those months you spent with her. You know very well what would’ve happened,” his variant continues, alluding to the fact that Gabi turned into an orphan and would’ve been placed in an orphanage had Miguel not stepped in. “For that – I thank you deeply. And of course, for being her father,” he finishes softly, acknowledging that Miguel is Gabi’s father as well.

Miguel nods slowly, feeling tears again but Gabi swipes them away.

“It’s okay, daddy. You don’t need to cry anymore, right, papá?” Gabi asks, turning to face her biological father, who nods. “We’re all okay here.”

Miguel nods at Gabi, holding her in his arms before he turns to his variant. “Thank you,” he whispers and his variant nods, giving him that same sad smile.

Miguel continues to hold Gabi, feeling like a weight has been taken off his shoulders. For so long he has carried shame and guilt over what he did but his variant and Gabi were forgiving of his actions. “Thank you,” Miguel whispers again, as Gabi holds him tighter, reminding Miguel how it felt to hold his child. Soft tears run down his face even when he turns to his wife who has been watching, waiting.

“I..,” Miguel trails off, not knowing how to continue for he has thought about her and their relationship a lot in the last few months.

He feels a different kind of shame washing over him. The more time passed, the more Miguel realized how differently he wished things had been. He had fallen in love too fast, wanting to fulfill his dream of having a family and he felt like he dragged her into it. He felt like he rushed her into marriage, but his wife meets his eyes with tenderness and nods.

“Miguel…” she says with a sigh. “We both made that decision. You didn’t rush me into anything I didn’t want to, but we did rush into it, didn’t we?” she asks softly with a small smile, taking his hand in hers. “We both wanted a family so badly and perhaps – perhaps we both sensed it would end soon and that’s why we held on to it so badly.”

She holds his hand and squeezes it gently, reassuringly, as she steps closer.

“I love you. And I know you love me, too… but our love was different, wasn’t it?” she asks softly. “Perhaps we could’ve really fallen in love if we had the time…” she continues. “But we didn’t and that’s okay, Miguel. I don’t hold that against you. We both wanted it badly and made the decision, so please stop carrying this guilt, okay? Miguel, por favor, live your life. For our sake,” she says softly, pausing. “Don’t you think it hurts us to see you like this?” she asks, looking at the others. “It’s painful to watch you do this to yourself. You’re so full of life, wasting it all living like this when there’s so many people out there to meet and befriend… to love. You have amazing people by you, don’t be afraid to show them the wonderful man you are.”

Miguel nods softly though the idea alone seems strange. He feels Gabi shift in his arms slightly, looking behind him.

“I just – I don’t know how to do this again. Losing you, all of you, has been too much,” he admits.

“But you haven’t lost us, hermano,” Gabriel says coming from behind, giving him a side hug. Miguel turns to look down at his younger brother again. “We’re always with you. Even if you don’t believe it or sense us, we’re always there. In every mission. In every universe. Every day and sleepless night.”

“You’re just too busy sometimes to sense us, daddy but we watch over you,” Gabi adds with her toothy smile. “We’re with you always. We visit you all the time, which reminds me - I loved my pancakes and the toys you gave me. Papá and I played a match with the new soccer ball you left for me on Dia de los Muertos. Thank you for leaving my favorite candy, too.”

Miguel cries softly and holds Gabi tighter in his arms. “You…” he attempts but is unable to finish his thought about them visiting him that night.

“We’re always with you,” his wife confirms with a smile meeting his eyes but she, too, looks behind him for a second.

He feels Gabi shift again, looking behind him. “She’s calling you,” she says softly.

Miguel dries his face with the sleeves of his shirt. “Who?” he asks, confused.

“You know who,” Gabriel says with a small smile. “You know exactly who. Miguel – you have a long life ahead of you. Make it count,” he whispers. “Leave a legacy that’s far greater than your leadership. Far greater than your duty and work. Live life, hermano. I know it’s not easy and we don’t expect you to move forward overnight but try. Try for us in the beginning until you find it in you to do it for yourself. Just try,” Gabriel says softly.

Miguel nods with tears. “I’ll try, Gabrielito. I’ll try.”

Gabriel smiles. “It’s been great seeing you, Miguelito.”

“Don’t call me that,” Miguel says but he says it with a smile.

“For old time’s sake, hermano,”Gabriel says and wipes his own tears away. “It’s been really great seeing you, but you must return now.”

“Return?” Miguel asks confused, still holding Gabi in his arms.

“You’ve been away too long, daddy. You must go back now. It’ll be alright,” Gabi says with a smile.

Everyone turns to look behind Miguel. He doesn’t know what they keep looking at.

“I don’t want to leave…” Miguel says softly, holding Gabi closer.

“Miguel – you must. It’s not time yet. And she’s calling you,” his wife says.

“Who’s calling me?” he asks.

His wife smiles and shakes her head. “One of the brightest people I’ve ever met, and you don’t see it, do you?”

Miguel stares at his wife before he meets the other two adults’ gazes. He realizes it. He must go. He nods slowly and holds Gabi for a minute longer, closing his eyes. Gabi hugs him tighter.

“There’s nothing to forgive but I know you need to hear it, so I’ll say it. I forgive you… You’ll always be my dad, no matter what,” she whispers, filling Miguel’s chest with ache and love all at once.

“Mija… Thank you,” Miguel breathes out gently.

He puts Gabi down, smiling down at her. He doesn’t understand it. She looks the same age she was when she passed away, but she sounds so much wiser. Like she knows more than he does. He pats her head softly before he meets his variant’s gaze.

“Thank you again…”

His variant nods, giving him a gentle smile.

Miguel’s eyes turn to his wife, who’s already looking at him. She nods softly.

“We’ll see you when it’s your time,” she says before she takes his hand again, giving it a soft squeeze before releasing it.

Finally, Miguel turns to Gabriel.

“It’ll be alright, hermano. We’ll see you when it’s time. And don’t forget we’re always with you,” he says as Gabi leans on him. Miguel watches his brother pick up Gabriella, holding her in his arms. “It’s time.”

Miguel nods before he gives his brother and Gabriella a hug, wrapping his long arms around them. He pulls his wife into it, too. He ends up offering his hand to his variant, inviting him into the hug. At the end of the day, they were linked. Forever.

His variant accepts his hand and gives him a nod, joining the moment.

They pull apart a few seconds later, giving Miguel space. He stares at them as they stand side by side, his brother still holding Gabi. They smile at him and give him reassuring nods. Miguel nods just as his variant walks closer to him, separating from the group as if to talk with him in private.

“Before you go… I want to tell you that I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago, really. I thank you for being a father to Gabi, for treating her the way I would’ve and know that in her eyes and mine, you are a father to her. I also want to tell you… that you have a chance, Miguel. Take it,” his variant says softly. “Our lives have never been easy, and you know that, but one thing I learned when I was alive was that sometimes all you need is a small purpose to keep you going,” his variant says briefly looking back at Gabi. “And I don’t mean work, for we both know what that does to us. Find the true purpose. Keep going. Live life. Accept those that wish to be near you,” he says, laying a hand on Miguel’s shoulder. “You’re worthy of it, don’t forget that.”

Miguel nods. “Thank you, Miguel.”

His variant nods, giving him a smile before he returns to the group. Miguel watches them for a few seconds.

“Go on, daddy! You must return now,” Gabi says looking behind him.

“She’s still calling you,” Gabriel adds but Miguel still doesn’t know who is calling him.

Miguel turns around. He’s no longer met with the view of his large windows facing the city, instead all he sees is a warm light. He turns back around.

“I’ll see you again, right?” he asks, quietly.

His family nods.

“Of course, and we’ll be ready for that day when it comes, hermano but that day is not today. For now, just now we’re always with you,” Gabriel says. “And I don’t mean to rush you, but you should really get back now.”

Miguel nods once again and before he leaves, he walks the short distance and gives everyone a last hug, squeezing Gabi and Gabriel tighter. He returns to his spot and nods. It’s time. He waves goodbye before he turns around to face the light. He walks into it, seeing nothing but light and when he looks behind his shoulder, he sees his family wave goodbye one last time. Miguel’s heart aches as he walks away but there’s also a lightness that he hasn’t felt in a long time.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/

“It’s okay, Miguel,” you shakily whisper as Miguel mumbles something in his sleep.

You watch him with your tear-stained face after what happened. The last thirty minutes were overwhelming to say the least. You try to forget it for now but you’re unable to put away the worry and stress of what you witnessed. As Miguel mumbles in his sleep again, you release a shaky breath.

Miguel’s heartbeat gave up for a few minutes and all you could do was watch and call his name helplessly as the medical professionals resuscitated him. You stand by his side now, thankful but still on edge as Miguel moves his head slightly.

“It’s alright. Everything is alright,” you whisper as he moves.

You notice his eyebrows furrowing as he mumbles yet something else, but his words are incoherent. You watch as his eyes move under his eyelids before they begin to flutter as if he’s waking up. You hold your breath, as it slowly becomes apparent his eyes are opening. Miguel looks around the hospital room slowly as if trying to figure out where he’s at before they fall on you.

“Y/N…” he whispers softly.

________________________

*Translation for italicized Spanish words:* Mierda - shit Mija - my daughter Hermano - brother Papá - dad Por favor - please Dia de los Muertos - Day of the Death ___

Thank you for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed this part despite the angst. The next part will contain more fluff, promise 🥹 can we just talk about reader giving Miguel her gizmo??? 😭 I don't know why but that made me so sad and that probably sounds stupid since I wrote it but anyway... I still love Miguel ❤️

-Alondra

Tag list:

@loverlorn @saturnknows @d1lf-loverrr @eddiestitmiguelsbigdick @freehentai @arithestrawberry @scaleniusrm @haradasaya @spidermanismyfav @bitchykittenconnoisseur @thecraziestcrayon @obi-mom-kenobi @natsury-kazuki @rootin-tootin-morgan @coraline750 @edgycatx @safixiovi @sunnyx07 @nxrdamp @rorel1a @oceanstar19 @happishark @carmilla01 @somebodyelsethanyouthink @adora-but-ginger @angie2274 @vampi-amora @tired-writer04 @plzfeedmebread @shadow-pancake9 @tynakub @faretheeoscar @giulscomix @luvstuffies @coffeeauthorvibing @lauraolar14 @bl0osclues @pinkiemme @lil-cinn @mashiromochi @loveletterfrommwah @mandodinstuff @muzansucker @theleftkittycollection @kikookii @www-interludeshadow-com @holographicang3l @aisyakirmann @bucky-to-my-barnes @geraskier-thots @l3laze @yujyujj @taylorsmakingfuckingmacandcheese

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saturnzskyzz · 5 months

Text

Smile for the Picture! 📷 Pt. 1

·˚ ༘ 𖦆 ꒷₊˚ ꒦꒷꒷꒦ ⑅ ʚ ⤜ ⨳ ࣪• ☼ ⋒ ⚡︎ 𐚱 ⊹˚˖⁺ ⤾·˚ ༘ 𖦆 ꒷₊˚ ꒦꒷꒷꒦ ⑅ ʚ ⤜ ⨳ ࣪•

Lee: Saiki

Lers: Kaido and Aren

Anyone still in this fandom?? Anyone?! I hope so, because I adore this anime so much!! Apart from the inappropriate jokes, I really love the plot and how comedic this anime is!! I barely see any comedy anime's that are actually good, but this show LITERALLY has me on the floor.

I still need to finish season 2 and get on with season 3 🥹

This is more so a comedy fanfic than a tkl fanfic, but bro still gets tickled, so 🤷‍♂️

Summary:

Kaido and Aren both drag Saiki along to the mall to have their photos taken as a fun way to get out of the house. What sucks for them is that Saiki is having a hard time participating smiling for the camera.

Warning:

| tickling | claustrophobia descriptions |

Enjoy!

·˚ ༘ 𖦆 ꒷₊˚ ꒦꒷꒷꒦ ⑅ ʚ ⤜ ⨳ ࣪• ☼ ⋒ ⚡︎ 𐚱 ⊹˚˖⁺ ⤾·˚ ༘ 𖦆 ꒷₊˚ ꒦꒷꒷꒦ ⑅ ʚ ⤜ ⨳ ࣪•

'Nothing like reading a comic on a clear Saturday evening to bring this peaceful evening together.. ' Saiki thought to himself. He held up an action comic that he had for years, untouched until this day. His dad bought him this comic when he was 14 for him to read, but Saiki had never gotten around to actually reading it because he thought it was something more of what his dad liked than himself. He proved himself wrong however, because he is now in the middle of reading chapter seven. He was nearly at the end of the comic while hoping that it would not leave off with a cliffhanger.

It explained the main character fighting this villain who just got done with its sappy story of how no one cares for his personality and likeability. 'ppt.. How pathetic, you chose to be a villain.' Saiki thought. Though, he can also understand why the character turned out to be a cold hard villain in the first place. I mean, who WOULDN'T understand one's backstory?

As he continued to read, he felt his telepathic senses tell him that someone was coming up to his door. Saiki scoffed at who it could be this time since everyone kept bothering him before picking up the comic.

"Hey, Kusuo? It's your dad.. There's people outside for you. They're wanting to know if you could go visit the mall real fast." The voice from the other side of Saiki's door could be faintly heard.

'What a bother. I finally chose a day to relax, and this is how the world treats my day off?' Saiki, once again, had thought to himself. He was irritated. Not only did he just finish the book that unsurprisingly left off with a cliffhanger, he now has to deal with what he assumed were two idiots who wanted to drag him along to the mall, and for what?!

'This could be a good time to search for the two other comics.. I mean, dad did only buy one of the other three.'

Saiki had to think about it for a moment longer. If he stays home, he could enjoy the peace and quiet for the first time in like, forever for the poor soul. But if he pushed himself to be dragged around by two fools who have no idea what it's like to favor time with being alone, he could find those two other comics that he desperately wants.. No.. Needs!

At the speed of light, Saiki got dressed in a casual, but yet a usual set of clothing. He looked around his room one last time to make sure he's not forgetting anything; not like he needs anything other than his wallet and cellphone. He did however, catch a glimpse of his Germanium ring that was sat neatly on his dresser, untouched.

He stared at the ring for a good minute or two before deciding that he should probably wear it in case of hearing unwanted spoilers for his comic that he is starting to realize, but won't admit to, to be obsessing over.

He walked out of his room once he had put the ring on, and headed for the front door rather excitedly than usual.

"Oh! Kusuo, deary! You're rather excited. Anything particular happen? You're not hanging out with some girl.. Are you?" Saiki heard his mother and her overly sweet, yet invasive tone, and stopped in his tracks to look at her with a deadpanned face.

'Welp, the excitement is gone now, thanks Mom.'

"What? Don't look at me like that sweetie, I'm only asking!" Kurumi said while walking up to the door to block it. She wasn't going to let him go until he tells the truth. It's not like he wanted to go or anything.

"I'm going out to get two other comic books that I started reading, now let me pass." Saiki kept it truthful, but left out crucial details to savor any more bombardening questions.

"Uh-huh? So when I open this door-" Kurumi started to say, going for the knob.

"Wait, don't open that door! You won't get off my back if you! -" Saiki reached out his hand to try and stop his mom from opening the front door, but missed by a millisecond, as she opened the door to show two patient students out front. 'Great, this is going to be a long day of parenting 101 questions..'

"Oh! Hi Mrs. Saiki! I hope we're not much of a bother, but we're just gonna empty your hands by taking your son with us to the mall to snap a few pictures for memories!" Aren, who was the first to speak, reassured Saiki's mother on instinct. Aren assumed that Saiki's mom was rather irritated given that her face looked like it was about to fly off her silhouette of a head. Too specific??

"Oh.. Oh! Ahaha, I should have known! My apologies, kuboyasu! You boys have fun, I don't want to keep you guys here any longer!" Kurumi placed her hands on Saiki's shoulders to gesture him out the door. She waved a goodbye to all three of them, and closed the door gently.

It was a good day to not hear the mopes of his own mother during this time. Because right now, she's probably thinking of how much her child has grown up to be hanging out with other people for once..

﹏﹏﹏

As the three walked together to the mall, Aren and Kaido were rambling like usual. Saiki instinctly followed behind so he knows that those two won't wonder off somewhere without his telepathic powers to notice.

'I guess this is babysitting but for the rookies.. I don't have my powers so it's going to be very tough to predict their thoughts and movements with this ring. It's a good thing that I don't actually have to talk though.' Saiki thought to himself.

"So! Saiki, I was quite surprised that you accepted our invitation on this journey. I thought you would say no and go read or something that you usually do." Aren blurted out.

'Well, there goes that assumption.. I was reading until the book left me with a cliffhanger..' Saiki thought once again.

Aren then walked a bit slower to get to Saiki's pace.

'What does he want now?'

"Is there any particular reason why you accepted to come with us to the mall?" Aren said, looking at Saiki with interest.

Saiki cursed at himself for not bringing the comic book with him to just show it to his classmate, but this is what he gets when accepting plans that he didn't want to participate in the first place.

"Just came for a couple of comic books.." Saiki said without glancing at Aren. It's unlike of Saiki to us his actual voice to speak, but he had no other choice so he just rolled with it, hoping for the best.

"..Huh. So you didn't want to take a photo with us?" Kaido budded in, slowing down to get on the same pace as the other two now.

Saiki only shook his head this time. He really didn't have time to enlight in conversation.

"Well, TOO BAD! because look!" Kaido linked arms with Saiki, surprisingly enough for him, and pointed at the mall in front of them.

"We're going in there to have our pictures taken, and we brought you along to join with! So let's go!" Kaido then sprinted, with Saiki being dragged, into the mall.

'What a p-pain.!' Ow. The grip that Kaido had on his upper arm was really getting to him. Who would have thought that the grip of a usually weak boy could do this much pain?

The mall was pretty huge for Saiki. He rarely goes to the mall, so anytime he does arrive he's always wondering if the building somehow got bigger. Who would of thought? Sometimes renovations can happen even for huge malls like the one that these two students dragged him along to.

As they got inside, Saiki started to look for a book store that might have obtained his comics. He saw clothing stores, shoe stores, food stands, jewelry stores, toy stores, but no book stores to be seen. It's not like this mall has a second story anyway?

"Hey look! The photobooth is right there, c'mon guys!" Kaido said. He started to run, not even realizing that he still had a death grip on Saiki, and he pulled him along with.

Saiki let out a gasp and a cough at the same time due to not realizing the grip as well, and because of how painful the pull was, but he managed.

Eventually, all three of them arrived at the photobooth, going in one by one. Kaido went in first, the boy to be the most excited for these photos, leaving Saiki to be uncomfortablely in the middle, and Aren coming in last. It was a tight squeeze, but they all managed to sit on the seat. It was fortunate that they were all in frame of the camera.

"Alright guys, I'll pay! The first set of photos we're going to pose all handsome and hot, the second photo is going to be a funny picture, and the third photo, we're going to make scary faces!" Kaido said quickly.

'Yeah, like I'm doing any of what you just requested. A normal blank face is all I'm really up for.' Saiki thought.

"Can't we just pose like normal? I don't think the first one is really necessary." Aren chimed in.

'The first and probably last time I will ever agree with you, Aren.'

"Fine fine, it's whatever! You guys do what you want, but I'm at least getting a smile from you two!" Kaido gave both Saiki and Aren a glance before pitching in his two dollars for photos.

As the booth counted down from 5, Kaido did what he requested earlier and went for a "hot" pose, while Saiki and Aren went for the 'peace sign' pose. Saiki had a blank face and as for Aren, he held up two 'peace signs' with a small smile and a wink.

*Click*

The booth made a clicking sound and showed the results on the screen infront of them.

It was at that moment that Saiki got scared with what the photo will show. 'Dammit! I forgot that any photo taken of me with these booths won't actually show my silhouette, making it seem like anyone who has ever took a photo with me in any booth, my mom and dad for example, will have them gasp and then do a double take with paled faces.. If they find out that I have psychic powers, it's over for me-'

"That's perfect! Saiki, could you express more with your face? Your blank stare is scary looking." Kaido blurted out, pointing at saiki's blank expression that was giftedly shown in the photo.

He blankly stared at the photo, seeing none other than him sitting in the middle with his pose. And then he looked at his germanium ring. 'Oh.. I forgot I had you on, you almost scared me half to death.' he then looked back up to Kaido and gave him a shoulder shrug. No way is he expressing more than just a stare to scare off any child who dares to look at someone else.

"C'mon Saiki! It will be once in a life time that we get 'high school Saiki' smiling for a photo! Do you know how rare that would be to us?!" Kaido all but begged to Saiki now, holding onto the psychic's leg.

'What a bother.' Saiki rolled his eyes and waved away Kaido's hands that were practically glued to his leg.

"Fine then, if you won't smile for the picture then have it your way." Kaido said, crossing his arms in a dramatic way whole pouting like a five year old.

'Like that's going to make me smile? You're at a loss pal.' Saiki just stared back at the camera, already assuming that it was going to count down soon.

5..

4..

As the booth counted down for a second time, Kaido went ahead and did a funny lookin' face that looked like it was aimed for Saiki to try and get him to crack a smile, but it was no use since Saiki didn't glace at him once, but Kaido still kept the pose for the picture.

Aren did a funny face as well, having both of his fingers to stretch out his mouth a bit, and had his eyes crossed inwards to look at the bridge of his nose. Unlike of Aren, but nonetheless, Kaido was going to be pleased with it.

And again, Saiki held a straight face for the camera, already knowing those two are wanting to get a reaction from the boy. He wasn't going to let that happen.

*Click*

The booth clicked on time to get a photo of the three. Kaido reached out for the photos to see how Saiki didn't lift up any corner of his mouth to make a slight smile.

"You've got to be kidding me! Saiki~ why can't you just smile for once in your life? this is just sad man!" Kaido whined to Saiki, shaking the boy by the shoulder.

'I'm not going to let in on your games, Kaido. I came here for a specific reason.' Saiki thought. He stared at the camera, not wanting to look at either of the boys. Unfortunately for him, however, Kaido had a mischievous plan to get Saiki to smile. He's never done anything like it before with Saiki; sure, he's done it with many of his friends, but Saiki? That boy is too stoic for his own reputation to get what's coming to him. Poor dude can't even sense what's about to happen because of the germanium ring, and yet Saiki is congratulating himself for putting it on to block out any and all thoughts around him.

"Okay guys, let's all smile like we mean it!" Kaido said, putting on an innocent smile for the camera. He swung his arm around Saiki's shoulder, having his hand rest just below his collarbone in a respective manner.

Aren then made a peace sign with his hand that was closest to Saiki, and held it up behind Saiki's head just enough for the camera to get it in; all the while tilting his head a bit towards Saiki, and smiled sweetly.

Saiki didn't think much of what they were doing, though. He had thought that Kaido tried to just urge Saiki to try and smile for the camera, but he wasn't going to let up on the act. And as for Aren? It's a weak move to try and gain any reaction over. He just kept a straight face with no interest whatsoever. How regretful he was going to be after making that decision..

"C'mon Saiki, smile~" Kaido sang, putting pressure with his fingers just below Saiki's collarbone. He didn't get a dramatic reaction from Saiki, but he did see how Saiki's eye had twitched from the on going touch.

'This is no funny business, Kaido. What are you doing?!' Saiki had thought. He tried to move his shoulder to dislodge the boy's hand, but he soon realized that Kaido wasn't going to let up until he smiled for the camera. 'What a bother..'

Aren saw what was happening when glancing over, and decided that he wanted to join in as well. He lowered his peace sign hand to now bring attention to the back of Saiki's neck to scribble the two fingers gently. This caused Saiki to twitch his head back just slightly before going back to his usual pose.

"C'mon Saiki! We know you want to~" Aren Dragged out, now moving his hand to the side of his neck with a bit more pressure than before.

"Y-you've got to be kidding me.." He whispered just enough for them to hear. He lowered his head down a bit, trying everything in his power to not make it seem like it's bothering him. If he ruined his "normal boring student" reputation, it's all over for him. I mean, who gets taken down by just a few tickles?

"Saiki~ the camera is about to count down; you better start smiling or we might never stop." Kaido said. He reached his other hand to squeeze at Saiki's side, which caused an embarrassing gasp from Saiki.

He grabbed at Kaido's torturing hand, and tried to pry it off his side, but Aren thought faster and grabbed at Saiki's bombarding hand to cease any escape. It was no use for poor Saiki, and he knew it.

'Good.' Saiki thought. 'If I just wait until the count down is over with a straight face then it will be all over.'

Well.. It was until Kaido decided that he was bored at squeezing his side and just reached for Saiki's armpit that Aren was closest to, thanks to him for pulling at Saiki's arm to reveal his vulnerability.

"AH-aha!" Saiki immediately ducked his head down, desperately trying to get his arm free as Kaido dug into his underarm. Saiki replayed the word 'embarrassing' in his head over and over again.

Kaido looked at Aren with a surprised, but hopeful face when hearing Saiki blurt out a laugh. "Saiki~ was that a laugh we just heard? Do it again, but look at the camera this time!" Kaido said, using his other hand to try and lift Saiki's head up. They just wanted his face in the camera, nothing more.. They were desperate to know how he looked when smiling, let's be real.

"F-fuhuck off!.." was all Saiki could say before he fought the accusing hand that was lifting his head up; he bit his lip to quit from laughing out loud and loosing his reputation. It's just two people Saiki, come on now, bud.

"Surely Saiki has a weak spot somewhere! We just have to find it in time before the timer goes off." Aren said while sneakily moving his hand away from his neck and now down to where his bottom set of ribs were. This made Saiki violently flinch away from the touch, and decided to us his free hand to grab at Aren's wrist to try and pull it away, but it was no use.

You know.. For how long this was going for, they all were surprised that the booth had stopped counting from 4.. Oh well! More fun for Kaido and Aren, at least. Not so fun for Saiki though, because he was desperately trying to keep his child-like giggles on a down low.. His bottom ribs weren't his weakest spot, but it still held some sort of sensitivity for the young boy to squirm a bit in his seat.

Saiki had pushed himself closer to Kaido to get away from Aren's hand, but he followed the poor psychic.

"Why can't you just smile for the picture?! That's all we want." Kaido urged to Saiki, digging a bit deeper in his armpit now. This earned him a surprised squeal and an inch closer of Saiki, who was trying to not push himself into Kaido, but it was hard to do so since both of them were attacking one side at once.

Saiki all but shrinked in on himself as well. All this tickling was a new feeling to say the least. He's been tickled before, yes. Many times actually; his parents always used to tickle him when he was a kid, and they always went for his weakest spot since discovering that his psychic powers limited his sense of sensitivity except for that specific spot. But ever since he's gained control of his powers, he knew when they were about to strike, and so he used his powers to get away from their daily tickle attacks until they became subtle. But right now? He's in ticklish agony! He's never felt more skiddish and childish ever since he was a kid until now. It felt weird to him, but surprisingly, he didn't quite mind the affection.

To be quite honest, he misses the affection. He was touched starved for sure, but he never realized he was until he put on that germanium ring. It was all new to him. It was overwhelming, sure, but it was definitely a new experience to have his touched starved thoughts be lifted away by a few tickles by his classmates.. Classmates. It makes sense for family to do it, but for classmates? Saiki was confused by it. It was all so new-too new. He was confused on why he was letting himself shrink to be this tiny version of himself just to get away from the touch. Why he felt the need to come into contact with Kaido so much when he desperately doesn't want to make the situation weird because he's usually not the touchy, or "clingy" type, from what he thought of it at first. In fact, He was more so confused on why he was letting himself finally laugh out loud with ease to his classmates for them two hear clearly now..

"Ahahah! Nohohot theehehere! Nohohoh! Stahahahap, AH-Ahahahah!" Saiki giggled out loud. He twisted as his back now faced Kaido, and with his free hand, he began to try and push Aren's hand away from his hip. His weakest and most sensitive spot. Saiki desperately tried to pry off Aren's hand, but Aren was too busy taking in Saiki's laugh to even register that he was trying to fight back.

Kaido just put his hands on Saiki's shoulders now that he doesn't really know what to do or what to expect now that he's finally hearing Saiki laugh. And it wasn't an obnoxious laugh as he thought it would be. It was like airy, child like giggles. His giggles weren't too deep, but they weren't too high either. It was like any other ordinary giggle that a boy would have. It was all too sweet for Kaido to handle that he just sat there and smiled out of pure joy. What can I say? His giggles were contagious.

For Aren, he looked at how Saiki was handling the tickling on his hip since he figured that this was a bad spot for him. Saiki had he's head down still, but he was able to see the corners of his smile to know that it was wide enough to show his happiness. And when Aren lightened up from digging into his hip, to lightly squeezing it now, Saiki squirmed even more, and allowed himself to hiccup every now and then from the touch-Both boys will remember that. It was an endearing sight to see for Aren.

"Okahahay *hiccup* okahay! Ihihi'll smihihile fohohor thehe-" Saiki was cut off by a click and a flash from the booth. All three boys looked at the camera, and saw how the photo came out of the slot.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Kaido said, lookin at both Aren and Saiki.

"I don't know, but at least it got it!" Aren said, looking at the photo with enthusiasm. And for some odd reason he was still tickling Saiki's hip.

"L-lehehet gohoho ahahalreahahady!" Saiki said, pushing even further into Kaido, which ended up with the blue haired to be squished against the booth wall.

"Woops! My bad.." Aren said, letting go of Saiki's hip. He turned his head to Kaido, who had the photo.

"Guys, look! It's showing Saiki's smiling face!" Kaido said, happily. He held up the picture infront of Saiki, who was finally able to turn back to sit normally on the chair, and Aren.

"Awww, for someone who had their picture taken from their side view, I'd say this suits you, Saiki. You look cute, man!" Aren said, going for his hip again, which caused the teen to flinch again.

"Aah-!" Saiki quickly moved on instinct to get Aren's hand off of his hip, which worked this time. He held his hand in the air for the time remaining of being in that booth for his own safety. Uncharacteristic of him, he of course thought to himself, but nonetheless, it's do or die.

﹏﹏﹏﹏

The three all got out of the booth, and started walking around the mall since Saiki had mentioned about the comics.. Not that he wanted them around, but his mom would kill him later if he just ditched them like all the other times he ditched them.

"What comic are you looking for exactly?" Aren questioned, looking at Saiki as they all followed.

"It's called 'The night Lurks within' these forests.'" Saiki said, blatantly. He looked from left to right, trying to find the comic store, but was faced with clothes stores and food stands.

"That sounds like something that a kid would read, haha!" Kaido blurted out.

Saiki stopped in his tracks to turn to look at Kaido with a straight, but offended face. "It's not a kids comic. If you read this comic, you'd be traumatized by how much gore and foul dialogue it has." Saiki said before turning back to look for the comic store.

Kaido all but had fear in his eyes when hearing Saiki be that straight forward with him. He looked at Aren who gave him a shoulder shrug, and then back to Saiki.

"I.. Uh, ehehe.. I know where a comic store would be in this mall-" Kaido started to say before he got interrupted.

"Where!" Saiki had stopped and turned to face Kaido again in a serious manner.

Then they were off. Kaido had shown the way to where one would be, and Saiki was following with enthusiasm in his steps. When they got the comic store, Saiki had stormed off, temporarily ditching Kaido and Aren to fend for the two other comics that he was desperate to get through out this whole trip.

"Saiki is a different person when trying to find something he's obsessed over, huh?" Kaido had said, looking at Aren. They waited on a bench that was close to the book store while they waited for Saiki to return with the comics.

"Yeah.. But I kind of like this side of Saiki. He's always so blunt and careful of what he does or says, so seeing him like this brings so much relief off my shoulders." Aren said without looking at Kaido once.

"Yeah, I think the same. I always saw him as someone who didn't care about anyone or anything, but this alone debunks my thoughts about him. I wonder why he's not like this at school."

"I don't know.. People can be too much for someone like him. He likes to be left alone, unbothered. I used to be that way, too. Even though I was in a gang. Being left alone is a great feeling until you find out that you really want to be with someone. Which I think is why he's acting so out of character with us all of a sudden, because he realized that he really needed someone to boost his social battery enough to act like himself." Aren said quietly, but just enough for Kaido to hear.

Kaido was quiet now. He understood what Aren said, and took it all in to realize that it might just be what it was that had Saiki be like this. Though it's subtle, they still knew that Saiki was acting different than when he was usually with them at school.

Just then, they see a satisfied Saiki who was holding two comic books in his hand. Did he also get a chocolate jelly out of a comic store?!

"That was quick! Did you find the right ones?" Aren said, looking at him with a smile.

Saiki just nodded happily and started to walk in the direction of where the exit doors were of the mall. Kaido and Aren both looked at each other with smiles on their faces, and walked with him to the doors.

Maybe Saiki isn't just this stoic and blunt person they mad him out to be afterall.

#anime tickle #the disastrous life of saiki k.#saiki k #shun kaidou #aren kuboyasu #lee! Saiki #Ler! Kaido #Ler! Kuboyasu #Saiki k tickle #sfw tickle community #saturn fanfics

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monstersandmaw · 1 year

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Male werewolf x female character (Gabe & Odessa) - Chapter Twenty (nsfw)

Disclaimer which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

___

Thank you a million times to those few still reblogging/commenting on this story with lovely tags and thoughts. This update is for you. I’ve seen a couple of you theorising about what’s going on, and you’ll start to get your answers in this and the next chapter... :)

The notes have really fallen away as the chapters have gone on though, so I’ll push these last two chapters out, and finish ‘Season One’ in the next few days. I’ve got ‘Season Two’ all planned out but not written, but I’m not sure I’ll share them here if there’s little to no interest in the story anymore.

Content: group farewell dinner, a bit of angst and insecurity afterwards, growly werewolf smut, and a little cliffhanger... :) Wordcount: 4124

Catch up here:

Part One (sfw), Part Two (sfw), Part Three (sfw), Part Four (sfw), Part Five (sfw), Part Six (sfw) Part Seven (sfw), Part Eight (sfw), Part Nine (sfw), Part Ten (sfw), Part Eleven (nsfw), Part Twelve (sfw), Part Thirteen (sfw), Part Fourteen (nsfw), Part Fifteen (nsfw), Part Sixteen (nsfw), Part Seventeen (sfw), Part Eighteen (v. light nsfw), Part Nineteen (nsfw)

The Boar and Hart wasn’t particularly crowded when they arrived sometime after seven that night.

Odessa glanced up at Gabe over her shoulder as they paused in the doorway to look around and he laid his hand on the small of her back. He leaned down to murmur in her ear, speaking with a little twist at the corner of his lips, “Did I mention how gorgeous you look in those jeans?”

“You might have mentioned something like it when we were trying to leave the cabin, yes,” she said with deadpan humour, emphasising the word ‘trying’. “And your reaction to them is why we’re way later than we’d said we’d be, and why I’m walking kinda funny…”

Yes, Gabe was the reason why there was an additional ache in her pelvis from when he’d crowded her up against the bedroom door and undone her close-fitting, black jeans, tugging them unceremoniously down her thighs, and sliding his fingers first around her aching clit and then burying them deep inside her. He’d held her up and made her come standing, which was a feat in itself, and she’d all but collapsed afterwards.

He’d carried her effortlessly over to the bed and kissed her until she’d started to writhe and squirm, though not in protest, and he’d kissed and coaxed yet another orgasm out of her which she most definitely hadn’t thought she’d had in her to start with. He’d come on her stomach a minute later, and she’d made him pay for being so charmingly cheeky by only barely swiping herself clean with a tissue before dressing again.

He could easily smell it on her over the scents of the bar — the patrons and their perfumes; the tang of alcohol and the waft of food — while they wove their way through the tables to join Tala and Carys and a couple of people she didn’t recognise, and it was going to be sweet torture for him. On the one hand, it left his wolf contented to be able to smell the fact that he was the one she’d allowed to be all over her, but she could also tell how it drove him slowly wild beneath that steady, calm, polite facade. Odessa had never been given that kind of power in a relationship before, and the agency and thrill it gave her was intoxicating.

Of course, Gabe wasn’t exactly helpless that night; he knew just how to make her heart skip a beat or two by that point, and he wasn’t afraid to be playful about it either.

Odessa barely remembered anything about the meal that followed.

She had the vaguest impression of Tala making up for her defensive behaviour with some gentle teasing about how well-suited she and Gabe were for each other in the end, and the other two members of the park service team that she’d not met before that had to agree.

“Got to say, Gabe,” Jack, a wiry young man with curly blond hair and grey-blue eyes grinned, laughing in a high, musical tenor as he leaned over the table with his hands around a largely-empty pint glass, “Didn’t think you were interested in anyone like that. You know, long term.”

“I wasn’t,” Gabe shrugged simply. “Odessa kind of took me by surprise.”

“To be fair,” Odessa countered, “I wasn’t looking for a relationship either when I came here. It just kind of… happened.”

Jack laughed and sat back, draining the rest of his beer. “Meant to be then,” he said.

Gabe shot Odessa a look and another shrug that seemed a bit too casual. “Something like that.”

“What will you do now?” Carys asked carefully, her glinting eyes flitting from one to the other of them. “I can’t say I see Gabe moving to the city with his wolf-dogs…”

“Definitely not,” she said, and she watched Carys’ shoulders relax just a fraction. Odessa shook her head with a scowl, curls bouncing in a wild, dark mane around her face. She didn’t miss the way Gabe subtly tilted his nose towards her and inhaled. Under the table, he squeezed her fingers in his just for a moment. “Honestly, we’re not sure. We’re going to have to do distance for the time being —”

“— Gabe’s gonna have to get bloody internet at his house for a start,” Jack interjected, and Gabe flushed.

“And upgrade his phone,” Tala added with a stunning smile. “You’re one step away from looking for a public phone to call her, Gabe.”

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and took in the number of empty glasses on the table with a quick look. “If you lot stop grilling us about what we’re going to do, I’ll get the next round. Same again for everyone?”

All but Carys nodded, and Gabe extricated himself from the table, gripping Odessa’s shoulder as he passed and then disappeared towards the bar. Odessa watched him go, and smiled when he shared a friendly word with Holly behind the bar. It felt good to know that he was loved by the people here — that he would be alright while she went back to the city for a time.

When she looked back at Carys, Odessa found the older woman regarding her carefully again, and she cocked her head in a silent question.

Carys shook her head in a ‘not now’ gesture, and instead she just said, “Make sure I’ve got your number before you leave.”

“You can have it now,” Odessa said, and they exchanged details while the others chattered on around them. Gabe returned bearing another round of sweet potato fries on the tray as well, and even though they all groaned, the basket was empty again in a quarter of an hour.

Jack was the first to start yawning, and the others began to follow suit not long afterwards. Finally, they called it a night sometime after half ten.

The day’s driving rain had moved on down the valley, leaving the pavements sparkling and glittering in the clear night, and their breath made foggy, dancing ghosts in the air around them as the small group parted ways outside the pub. Odessa looked around and watched them go, Jack and his girlfriend Lydia both flirting harmlessly with Tala as they went, while Carys shook her head and waved over her shoulder as she headed off towards her apartment on the edge of the tiny town.

Tala had been right — dinner had been another good distraction — but reality sank like a stone through her gut as she stood there and knew that this was the last night she’d be spending in Pinewatch for a while.

“You want to walk around for a bit or head back to the cabin?” Gabe asked. They’d walked down together instead of driving since they’d both felt like having a beer with the others, and now that the rain had stopped, it would likely be a pleasant walk back despite the damp, autumnal chill in the air. She didn’t need to worry about finding her way in the dark because Gabe's night vision was probably better than hers was during the day.

Odessa took a moment to look up and down the sleepy street, and realised she wasn’t ready to let it go just yet. “Walk,” she said, and Gabe tilted his elbow towards her, letting her slide her fingers into the crook of his arm for warmth as they strolled aimlessly along the pavement. They passed sleepy shops with their lights out for the night, and a cat slunk along the line of parked cars before hissing at Gabe and darting up a steaming side alley.

He huffed a regretful little laugh as it fled, and idly nudged at a pebble with his toe a few paces later. He seemed to be holding his breath.

“What is it?” she asked, wondering if the almost-full moon was making him tense, or if it was her departure the next morning, or something else entirely.

He just shook his head though and offered her a fleeting smile. It dissolved again into a tense scowl, and she stopped. The movement turned him a little towards her, and his brows knitted together.

“Gabe?”

His expression wavered a little, eyes going glassy, and he glanced away, blinking rapidly. His breathing was quick and shallow, and his weathered, outdoorsy complexion looked unusually pallid, even accounting for the washed-out streetlights further up the road.

“Talk to me.”

“It hurts,” he rasped, and closed his eyes with a soft grimace.

“What does? The full moon?”

“What? No,” he said quickly, not understanding her at first. “No, it’s not… it’s nothing to do with that. I just…” he stopped himself, grinding his teeth together to stop the words tumbling out against his will, and he growled. “No,” he said.

“No what? Gabe, talk to me?” she insisted, and her stomach soured a little.

“It’s not fair,” he said in a barely-audible exhalation.

“What’s not fair? I thought we’d already decided that we’d figure it out as we go. We’ll find a way that works for both of us. I’ll look for something in the area, or for something I can do remotely, and —”

“ —No,” he said, eyes flashing as he looked back at her; the irises glowing unnaturally in the yellow lamplight. “No. Odessa, you shouldn’t have to give up your entire life just because I’m a wild animal that can’t stand the city.”

Her chest constricted and she blinked. “That’s how you see it? And what life, Gabe?” she scoffed. “I’d already quit my job before I even met you; I broke up with my cheating ex; and I came here because I wanted something new and different. Something that was mine, and my choice. I found that, Gabe. I found exactly what I want.” She gripped his forearm with her fingers and glared up at him. “I found you.”

“Your friends —” he protested rather weakly, his expression torn between shock and hesitant joy.

“— will still be my friends. It’s only a five hour drive, Gabe. It’s not like I’d be moving to a different continent.”

“What would you even do out here?” he asked, voice low and rough. “You're a lawyer and the nearest courthouse is sixty miles away.”

“People change careers, Gabe, and institutions like the park services need legal teams too. It’s not all about trail cams and bird nests…” He did smile shyly at that. “The money was really good before, but the rest of it sucked, ok? It fucking sucked. I was miserable. I had no life, I was barely home, I hardly slept, and I didn’t even notice that my partner had been cheating on me for months. I wouldn't call that much of a life, Gabe. Even if I don’t find work, I can still rent an apartment here in Pinewatch — hell, I could probably book out the holiday cabin for the next six months and still have enough savings not to work for at least a year. We can make something work.”

The vulnerable, open look in his face finally stopped her and she narrowed her eyes.

“What’s this really about, Gabe?”

“Odessa, you’re human, and you’ve only known me and known about werewolves for two weeks,” he whispered, his voice almost lost behind the brief hiss of tyres as a car passed them on the road and disappeared into the dark forest beyond the town.

“The same amount of time you’ve known me. If you’re having doubts though, feel free to tell me now,” she said and tried not to sound petulant about it.

“No!” he said quickly, shaking his head and looking somehow more disquieted. “No, I’m not. I’m certain. You’re… You’re it for me, Odessa.”

“Then what’s going on?”

“Am I —?” he cut off, swallowed thickly. “Would you really leave everything behind… for me?”

For someone as tall and powerful as Gabe, he looked like a single autumn leaf could knock him down. Am I enough for you? his golden eyes asked, though his lips didn’t say as much. Or am I perhaps too much?

Odessa felt all the tension drain out of her and she stepped close to him. She looped her arms around his middle and hugged him, pressing her cheek against his chest and squeezing him tightly. “You silly wolf,” she whispered.

Gabe let out a ragged exhale, then tentatively brought his arms up around her shoulders.

“Yes, Gabe,” she said. “I want to see where this goes, and I’m not going to make any rash decisions. I’m going to keep my apartment in the city and I’m going to keep my job options open, ok? I’m going to look and see what there is around here. We’re going to talk on the phone, and I’ll come and see you again soon, and we’re going to make it work as best we can. I’ve never felt anything like this before for someone, so no more of this talk from either of us, ok?”

He stroked her hair and then sighed. “You’re getting cold,” he said. “Come on.”

They walked hand in hand in silence along the road, and when they came to the rutted, muddy driveway that led to her cabin, Gabe squeezed her hand and guided her around the worst of the potholes in the dark.

“You’re staying, right?” she asked when she saw his truck sitting quietly in front of the little wooden house, bathed in a small circle of golden light from the porch lamp over the door.

“If you’ll have me,” he smiled, and he shifted his hand distractingly to the curve of her backside while she was getting her keys out of her jacket pocket.

“Oh, I’ll have you, Gabriel,” she purred as she unlocked the door.

His eyes hadn’t stopped glowing gold all the way back, and as he let out a sonorous, growling exhale, his lips pulled back a fraction and he snarled under his breath. “You make it very hard for me to resist, Odessa,” he said.

“You don’t have to resist,” she said with open honesty in her face as she looked up at him. “What do you want?”

“You,” came his immediate response. “However you want me.”

“I want to shower and get the smell of the bar off me first,” she said, her fingers going to the buttons of her dark maroon blouse even as she backed away from the front door and maintained her eye contact with him.

He closed the door behind him and stood stock still in the living room of the cabin as she started to undo her top a little further, revealing a deep ‘v’ of bare skin beneath before drawing the silky fabric away to show her dark bra. Another long, low-frequency growl escaped him, like a leopard hunting in the dark, and a thrill ran through her whole body. Gabe was absolutely not human, and she loved it.

And he could smell that she loved it too, if the way his pupils blew wide and black, and he scented the air as she retreated.

With a smile, Odessa turned away and walked towards the bedroom. At the door, she turned and found him suddenly following close behind her, moving silently, eyes glowing.

She tied her hair up in a loose bun and stepped out of her jeans in the doorway to the bathroom.

“You joining me?” she asked with one hand on the glass door of the shower.

“If I may,” he said in a rough, quiet voice.

“You may,” she smiled.

While the water heated up, Gabe undressed and ran his hands up her back, kissing across her shoulders and breathing in the scent of her skin. He left a kiss on the nape of her neck that left her shivering, and then followed her into the searing shower.

He washed her, taking his time, and while he was hard in no time, he didn’t make any sign of wanting to do more than enjoy her body in the water. The intimacy of being washed by someone, of having his hands sculpt her body into heaving sighs and shuddering gasps, left her buzzing and when she stepped out a while later, she could hardly think straight.

“I never thought it could be like this with someone,” she said as he kissed her in the coiling steam. “I never knew it was supposed to be like this.”

They shared a breath, lips brushing, right before he kissed her again.

“Nor I,” he smiled.

They abandoned their towels on the floor and crossed to the bed. Continuing their heated intimacy, Gabe lay on his back and she curled up against his side with her head on his shoulder and her arm across his perfect torso. She hooked her right leg over his left thigh and ran her thumb across his pec and teased his nipple. His breath caught and he groaned, bucking weakly against her and making his hard cock bob and leak a little pre-come.

“Your body is incredible, Gabe,” she said, pressing her thumb a little harder into the muscle of his chest and then lightly scoring her nails down over the ridges of his lean stomach to his hip bone. He groaned and heaved beneath the passage of her hand along his body. “I’ve never seen anyone who looks like you outside of movies or magazines.”

“Being a werewolf helps,” he said. “I shift more than most of my kind too, I think,” he added with a hoarse grunt as she teased her fingertips up the crease between his thigh and his balls. He opened his legs for her and she cupped him gently, playing idly with him until he started to breathe in shallow pants, eyes closing, cock twitching and leaking another line of clear pre-come onto his abs. “Odessa…” he growled as she rolled his balls carefully in her hand.

“Mmm?”

“God, you’re trouble,” he laughed. “I feel like a teenager again — like I don’t know if I want to come or shift any second, or both.”

She laughed and moved to lie atop him. All traces of her self-consciousness had evaporated in the two weeks she’d spent with him. She no longer felt awkward about the weight around her hips or the soft rolls at her waist. She felt beautiful in a way she’d never been made to feel before, and certainly not since gaining those extra pounds. And Gabe, it seemed, couldn't get enough of her.

He growled again, that slow, rolling sound that was almost a purr, and her eyes fluttered. She shifted and his cock slid easily inside her. She’d never had so much sex in her life either, and it felt incredible to be so wanted, so desired — so desirable. He moaned, as though sliding inside her was like coming home, and he couldn’t seem to stop growling now that he’d started.

“Oh fuck…” he grunted around the constant rumble in his throat. “Oh god, you’re still so tight. How are you so tight? God, you’re perfect. Is this alright?” he added when her breath caught a little.

“Yes,” she gasped, adjusting her hips a little and taking him just-so inside her. Somehow she started to feel like it wasn’t enough; like she could still somehow get closer to him, take more of him, though she was pretty sure he was as deep as he could physically get.

“Gabe, I want you.”

“You have me,” he said.

“Wait,” she breathed, and raised herself off him to lie down on her back instead, legs apart in invitation. “Like this.” Perhaps from that angle he could give her the closeness her body craved. It had certainly been intense the last time he’d thrust into her like that, with the backs of her legs pressed against his chest.

His eyes glinted gold when she opened her legs to him and he settled his knees between her thighs and just stared at her for a second. In the past she would have felt self-consciousness roar through her like a consuming wildfire, but now she felt his gaze on her like a physical touch against her skin, and she grew even wetter beneath its weight. He finally reached out and thumbed a circle around her pulsing clit, pushing gently underneath it before circling lazily — adoringly — around it until she let out a guttural groan and begged him for more.

Without preamble, he slid his cock easily back into her and lifted her legs until both rested on his shoulders. He held her thighs in his strong, rough-palmed hands, and ground slowly against her, catching her deep.

Her hands clutched at the sheets beneath her as pleasure stoked and built inside her.

Claws pricked her skin and she opened eyes she hadn’t noticed closing to find him with his eyelids closed too, his cheek nuzzled against her leg. His lips drew back to reveal his canines, and his hairline crept forward as the shift from human to wolf nudged insistently at him. He looked mesmerised by the feel of her around his cock, rocking back and forth inside her like a ship at sea, slowly building the pleasure for both of them until he opened his mouth and let his sharp, thick, inhuman fangs scrape across her skin.

She moaned his name and arched her back a little, and he tugged her even deeper onto his cock with a growl. As if that broke the spell, he got a little faster and with each thrust, he let out an animal snarl. His pace picked up, the rhythm growing from something slow and intense to a pace that left her gasping for breath. Her breasts moved with the force of each thrust, her whole body shunting along the bed towards the pillows, and the individual growls began to blur together into something fierce and almost feral.

“Want you,” he hissed. “I always want you. I want you all the time,” he went on, and she wasn’t even sure he knew he was speaking out loud. “The moment I smell you again, I want you. Then I look at you and I can’t remember how to breathe,” he went on, barely audible around the snarling growls pouring out of him. “Odessa.”

His legs quivered but he didn’t break the rhythm of his hips, pistoning in and out of her with increasing speed, each stroke leaving her breathless and dizzy with the surging pleasure. Claws pinched at her skin, keeping her tethered as her orgasm grew and began to sing in her ears.

“I’m yours, Odessa,” he choked. “God, I’m yours.” Then she thought she heard him whisper, “Take me. Please… have me. Take me as your…” The words were so faint she could barely hear him over the pounding of blood in her body and the way his wild growling was filling the room.

With a sudden, surprised whimper, the rapid rhythm of his hips faltered and he stopped moving altogether. He froze and a tremulous shudder ran through him.

For a second, she thought he was coming, but it didn’t feel like it had before, and her eyes flew open in alarm. His back heaved and he bit back a roaring howl that dissolved into a pained, whimpering snarl. Something was wrong, and cold adrenaline raced through her, replacing the pleasure in her veins.

“Shit,” he grunted.

Gabe was shaking in earnest now. Snarls just spilled out of his snapping jaws until he froze again, his whole body grinding to a halt for a second time. His muscles still trembled but it felt like he was keeping himself from moving at all; fighting something.

“Gabe?”

He snarled again and clacked his teeth together, tendons straining as he desperately tried to suck in enough air with his lungs were spasming too hard to manage it. “Shit…” he said again.

“What’s wrong?” She sounded small and frightened to her own ears.

Between short, snatched breaths he gasped, “The shift… I’m… losing control. Odessa, I’m… I…” He turned his face away and shuddered violently. His back heaved again, and the groan that left him was no longer full of pleasure, but pain. “I’ve never… not like this…”

“Gabe, look at me?”

“Odessa…” he choked, and all the passion turned to wild panic. “I… can’t… I can’t hold it back…”

“Look at me,” she said more firmly, and he did. “Oh Gabe,” she whispered when she saw his eyes wild and full of fear. “It’s alright. You can shift. Shift if you need to.”

“Odessa?” he whispered, and for the first time since she’d found out about his secret, he looked afraid.

Next chapter -->

Thanks for reading this far in their story, and I hope that you’ll consider reblogging this as well as leaving a like if you enjoyed it, as that will help others find it.

Take care, and I hope you have a lovely day/night wherever you are, and whenever you read this.

Masterlist | Ko-fi (tip jar)

#werewolf #male werewolf #werewolf boyfriend #werewolf romance #shifter romance #exophilia #monster boyfriend #male werewolf x female character #gabe & odessa #you know who you are if you're seeing this #and thank you

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whiskey-tango-matcha · 1 year

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A Cup of Tea and Paracetamol (Part 1/?)

Hi friends, I heard a hot scenario in the normal world and now I must make my characters miserable because of it. Elijah & Greyson are venturing out of the restaurant for this one! Not sure how many parts, and there’s limited sneezing in this first part (also this first part is kind of short but I have to leave my house so you get a cliffhanger lmao) but I promise more is coming.

Enjoy!!

CW: male, colds, contagion

A Cup of Tea and Paracetamol

“You’re never going to believe what is in this email.”

Greyson raised an eyebrow at his boss and took his best shot. “Is it a letter from the queen of England bestowing upon you the dukehood you always knew was your lifeblood?”

Elijah turned fully to face the chef with a look of bemusement. “The queen of England is dead, Grey.”

Greyson gasped in such mock horror that half his staff turned to see what was happening in the office. “The queen is DEAD? WHEN? HOW?”

Elijah rolled his eyes and pushed Greyson lightly, playfully. “You did get one thing right, though,” he said, expanding the email so Greyson could read it over his shoulder. “It’s the Epcot World Tour event in England,” he said as Greyson scanned the email. “They invited us to participate.”

Greyson took Elijah’s shoulders in his hands and shook him from behind. “What the fuuuuck man! That’s fuckin wild! I want to go! Can we go?”

Elijah held his hands out, palms up, as if to say ‘I don’t know’. “I mean,” he said, “I don’t think we can say no to something like this. We’re probably going to have to close the restaurant for the week that we’re there, but the publicity for doing this kind of thing… I mean, it’s unparalleled. We couldn’t pay for that kind of press.”

Greyson punched the air. “Oh, HELL yeah!” he said, smacking Elijah on the back excitedly. “We’re going to England, baby!”

***

The event was on a Saturday, which was stressing Elijah out so much that Greyson almost wanted to throw his hands up in the airport security line like a fed-up father and say ‘That’s it, turn around, we’re going home’. Almost.

“Lij,” Greyson said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration as Elijah crunched the numbers on his phone for the millionth time. “It’s ONE weekend. We’re literally going to be gone not even five days. I need you to relax.”

“I’m relaxed, I’m just worried about -”

“If you’re worried about something, you’re not relaxed,” Greyson interrupted. “Look, dude, this is going to be so good for the restaurant. It’s going to bring so many people in. Five days closed isn’t going to take us down, okay? I promise.”

Elijah attempted a smile and put his phone back in his pocket. “Alright,” he said, sighing. They made their way through security in silence, and once they were through Elijah finally spoke again: “Where’s the bar in this joint? I need a drink.”

“It’s seven in the morning,” Greyson laughed, and Elijah shrugged.

“Airport rules,” he said, a statement that Greyson couldn’t find an argument for. They found a bar near their gate and flopped their things down before ordering two overpriced bloody mary’s.

“You’re sure the contact got all our ingredients?” Greyson asked as he sipped his drink. Elijah snorted.

“Now who’s the worrywart?”

Greyson flipped him off. “I think that’s a valid thing to be worried about. I mean, I have no idea what they even have available in England. Are there real grocery stores if we need to pick something up? Or is it more of a stand-on-the-side-of-the-road kind of deal? Or is it like back in the 1600s where every store only sells one item and all the stores close at three pm?”

Elijah gave Greyson a look of incredulity as he sucked down his drink. “Grey,” he said. “It’s England. We’re traveling across the ocean, not across space and time. They’re going to have grocery stores.”

The bartender came by then and asked if they’d like another round, which Elijah responded to by shaking his head and handing her a credit card. “Thanks, boss,” Greyson said as Elijah signed the check, which he responded to by waving the chef off.

“Don’t mention it,” Elijah said. “Let’s get to our plane.”

***

Elijah had been holding his breath as everyone boarded the plane, begging whatever god there may be that no one would be sitting in the seat next to him.

When they had booked the tickets, Elijah had assumed he and Greyson would sit in the same row, but it turned out that was a pipe dream.

“I’ll take the aisle,” they said at the same time when Elijah found them an empty row. Greyson had laughed and said, “Jinx.” Turned out neither of them could stand the thought of being trapped at the window for seven hours, so instead Elijah booked them across from each other and hoped he wasn’t trapped next to someone who smelled – or worse yet, talked to him the whole flight.

He really thought that he’d somehow beat the system when the last few people had trickled onto the plane and no one had sat in the middle seat yet. Even Greyson gave him an eyebrows-raised look of, ‘congrats, you won the airplane lottery’; that is, until the very last person stumbled onto the plane.

To say that the man who was barreling down the aisle and towards the seat next to Elijah looked terrible would’ve been a massive understatement. He was a good enough looking man – in his 30s, probably around Elijah’s 35, and, also like Elijah, covered in tattoos from the neck down – but clearly he wasn’t...well.

“Excuse mbe – huhhITTZSCHUE!”

Oh, you had to be absolutely fucking joking, Elijah thought as he let the man past him and into the tiny seat next to him. The man sat down and tried to make himself as small and unobtrusive as was possible, but that seemed to be impossible, given his situation.

“Oh fuckigg hell – hehITSZHUE! ITSSHHHUE! Huhh...huh…”

This had to be a joke. He had to be getting punked. The flight hadn’t even taken off yet, and Elijah could already feel a stranger’s cold seeping into his pores, as if it had been specifically chosen for him. He looked over at Greyson, who was clearly biting his own cheek to keep from laughing. Elijah subtly flipped the chef off, and Greyson covered his mouth so as not to let the guffaw escape.

I’m sorry, Greyson mouthed when he had finally composed himself.

Fuck you, Elijah mouthed back, and Greyson once again collapsed into silent laughter. Behind him, Elijah felt the ill man tap his shoulder.

“Pardond mbe,” the man said, his English accent and his cold making him nearly impossible for Elijah to understand. “You wouldn’t happen to have a paracetamol ond you, would you?”

“I’m sorry,” Elijah said. “I don’t have anything.” What the fuck was paracetamol?

“That’s alright,” the man said, coughing lightly. “I’mb so sorry about...all this,” he gestured to his entire presence, and Elijah attempted a smile.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “And bless you, by the way.” “Much thangks, mbate – huhhITSZCHUE! HUHISHHUE!” The man folded himself in half to try and sneeze away from Elijah and their other seatmate – a woman so asleep Elijah thought she may be dead. The man in the middle coughed harshly into his lap, and Elijah winced.

It was going to be a very long flight.

#coldfic #male cold #cold #snzfic #snz #snz kink #snezfic #snez #sick #male sneeze #male snz #contagion #whiskeyswriting

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hezuart · 1 year

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Hey what happened to six at the end of the AU

So I left it on a creepy cliffhanger that a lot of people assumed to imply she was killed by the Hunter, however,

Things we know about the Hunter: He kept Six alive but locked up with a music box to entertain her. In the original story, the Hunter ALSO kidnaps Mono and keeps him alive too, however, Mono is deemed more of a flight risk and tied to a chair. (Naturally, Mono escapes and frees Six. I think Six and Mono were even meant to start off together way earlier in the story so that's why initially they were captured together.)

I think somewhere they said the Hunter likes to keep "trophies". It is unclear why he kept Six alive, and it's unclear for just how long too, though it's implied to be several days; and it's also unclear if he was just gonna kill her later. If Mono and Six escape the Hunter's house, he will just resort to killing them.

youtube

This all being said, what happened to Six is up to the viewer!

Did Six escape?

Did the Hunter continue to keep her prisoner?

Did the Hunter kill her and stuff her with cotton?

You decide!

Let it be known, however, that Six's story will not have closure in my AU. Her story will remain open-ended. Many people want a happy ending for her- but one thing I can tell you with confidence, is wherever Six's future lies, to me anyway, it is not with Mono and Seven. Six ended Seven's life and ruined Mono's. They were only trying to help her and through misunderstanding and/or betrayal, things ended horribly between them.

That's the point of Channel Change. Mono and Seven find each other, leaving behind their connections (and inevitable ends) to Six. Their happy endings can only happen through change. They've changed the channel. A show where they are the main characters, and Six is no longer part of the cast. By leaving Six's fate imprisoned, they are free.

#after my other sequel comics #i might have bonus tid bits #or directions this AU could have gone or would go #AU on top of AU????? who knows!#excited to draw it #also hey bonus pic from current sequel im shading #little nightmares #channel change au #channel change #LN AU #mono #seven #six #ask

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cptn-m · 3 months

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One Piece chapter 1109 review

Ten minutes? Boo. BOOOOOOO! What a tease. That's, what, 4 chapters of Dressrosa time? 18 chapters of Namek time? Fine. It's fine.

But to get more serious, this is Egghead going full circle. First we were set up to expect a defensive siege of the main lab, then it evolved into an escape sequence, and now for the final leg, we're being set up to defend again. And with this being the ninth chapter of volume 109, the time for a climactic end-of-book cliffhanger is coming up, as early as the next chapter (but realistically on the eleventh or twelfth because there have been a few shorter chapters in this run) maybe we see this wrap up, or at least get ready to wrap up relatively soon.

This is a very transitional chapter. Transitioning into a new cover story (I think Momo moved Onigashima; outside of another Oars having shown up there, nothing else realistic), transitioning through the setup phase for receiving Vegapunk's info, transitioning to the real final set piece. Seeing new characters return in great numbers like this is always good fanservice, but cameos alone aren't a lot to analyse. The acknowledgement of time zones in the Water Seven bit is cool. I know Oda isn't super invested in this kind of thing for his worldbuilding, so I'm not going to waste my time trying to work out if this is an accurate depiction or not.

Haha yeah okay of course I am.

A thoroughly pointless analysis of One Piece timezones

First, we need to all get on the same page about the orientation of the globe. It's a myth with a frustrating amount of staying power that the Grand Line runs along the equator, but this is not actually the case. All evidence in the manga points to the Grand Line and the Red Line forming an X shape across the globe. The first explanation of the Grand Line in chapter 22 comes with a handy compass rose for orientation, and the image of the globe on the following page depicts them as diagonals. The special recap at the end of volume 81 reiterates this image of the globe, and puts Reverse Mountain on the "front" of the planet. Finally, the compass directions offered when the Supernova captains are planning how to leave Wano also place the Grand Line on an angle. This is our canon orientation.

Yes, this means that if you were standing on Marie Geoise, the seat of the rulers of the world, you would have to look west to see the East Blue and look east to survey West Blue. That's kinda silly. Maybe the names of the seas predate the World Government making that their perch.

In the latest chapter, we're shown broadly the time at a few key, identifiable locations. It is, of course, daytime on Egghead. It is explicitly nighttime at Water Seven. Windmill Village, in the East Blue, and Dressrosa have light skies, suggesting day; meanwhile Kamabakka, Marie Geoise and an unnnamed West Blue location all have shaded skies, suggesting nighttime. North and South Blue are both shown with light skies, but their locations on the planet make it almost impossible for it not to be day somewhere in them, so without more data like proximity to the Red Line, the Grand Line or the poles, they can't add anything to this analysis.

First, we have to work out where these locations are on the map. While it's tempting to place Egghead on the globe's front face, in the second half of the New World, for Law's statement in chapter 1056 about northeast being the furthest forward move to be true, this means that Wano, and by extension Egghead (directly southeast of it) have to be on the rear side, in the first half of the New World.

Dressrosa is before Egghead in the New World, easy win.

Water Seven doesn't offer anything as explicit as that for its placement, but for it to be the island that connects to Fishman Island, under Marie Geoise, via Log Pose, you have to assume it's in the second half of Paradise, also on the rear side of the globe.

Kamabakka is only a few days' sail from Lulusia, which was selected by Imu to test the Mother Flame because it was "close" to his location, so the easiest extrapolation is that it too is in the second half of Paradise.

For both Windmill Village and the unnamed West Blue location, it's impossible to tell if they're on the front or rear hemispheres of the world, but I've placed them both on the front because the map was going to get crowded otherwise.

For the sake of simplicity, we're going to assume that daylight moves east to west over the planet, just like the real world. We're also going to ignore things like curvature and axial tilt because they get complicated, harder to work into the graphics, and probably wouldn't have that much of an impact on the result anyway. The proportions of my day/night/dawn/dusk segments are not exact; I just eyeballed them. Excuse the roughness of the graphics.

So, can we make the day and night times shown in the latest chapter's panels work?

Unfortunately, no, we cannot. If it's morning on Egghead it can be dawn on Dressrosa, just before dawn at Marie Geoise and late at night in the second half of Paradise for Water Seven and Kamabakka, there's no way it makes sense for it to be day in the East Blue and night in the West Blue. Oof, we were so close. But Oda's time zones are busted.

The conclusion here is that this stuff doesn't really matter that much. Like travel times, the phases of the moon and the exact day and date the story is taking place, Oda may occasionally make a throwaway reference to these things, but he's also known to forget them and totally happy to fudge them for the sake of the story. I enjoy the mental puzzle of working out details like these and running through the implications, but I don't think they offer any genuine insight into how One Piece has been plotted or where it's going.

Ahem…

Getting back to the chapter at hand though, the bit of action with Luffy is very fun. I enjoyed Borsalino's laser eyes and the big clap attack. Saturn being able to fly around like a frizbee with all his legs out has a familiar vibe to the ancient dinosaur hunting techniques from Onigashima. And on Saturn's abilities, the telepathy between him and the other Elders is very interesting and definitely builds the case that whatever they have going on is beyond just Devil Fruits. As, of course, does the summoning. I'd be curious to see what kind of limits are placed on this to keep them from just showing up at Revolutionary HQ or something. Saturn rode with the Marine fleet until he was close, so maybe there's a proximity limit on unfamiliar areas, but once one is there, he can summon the others to his location from anywhere in the world.

The summoning spread is an awesome page for sure, but in the vein of last week's complaints about characters disappearing and inconsistent staging, it feels like a huge empty space has manifested to fit it in. Egghead's buildings felt a lot closer together than this in previous backgrounds, even accounting for how destroyed they are.

This was something the Onigashima anime (the bits of it I saw anyway) was really bad about. One minute the roof area is an enclosed arena, the next there's an expasive k or two of the pillars around the outside because it's a cool shot for a character sent flying to bust through them one after the other. Establishing shot puts Zoro and King on the crumbling, shrinking outer edge. But in the sakuga cut it grows a mile of extra turf for Zoro to sprint and leap through while flaming dragons tear up everything around him. Cool moments are cool, but I don't like seeing the established setting being compromised to make space for them.

I feel like I've been harsher on paper than I actually feel for this one. Transitions can be a let down, and are definitely hard to write about, but they don't mean the stuff I'm excited for isn't coming. I can wait a week or two for the payoff, after all the years of following this story, that much more isn't a huge deal.

Wordpress!

#one piece #one piece spoilers #manga review #one piece manga #op spoilers #monkey d luffy #One Piece analysis

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chidoroki · 11 months

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182 Days of TPN - Day 92

Chapter 92: “Fire Away”

I love how everyone is genuinely impressed (and maybe a bit scared) by Adam’s strength. Also, I know this may not be the best time to wonder about this with all the chaos of the battle going on, but did Emma or Ray never actually hear him mutter Norman’s number? Even when back at the shelter? Granted, the duo were out searching for the Seven Walls majority of the time, but still. Not even one of the other GF kids managed to catch him saying the number out loud? Eh whatever, I dunno why this thought is suddenly coming to me now of all times.

Who is the real beast here, the demon flying through the air or the young mad lad who managed to punch him all the way up there? The kids are totally speechless and ya can’t blame them. Seeing Leuvis get tossed around like a rag doll is quite the sight.

Even Leuvis is overwhelmed by Adam. Poor Palvus could’ve easily avoided this flight if the little guy just let go. Kinda funny how Violet had no idea where Adam came from or when he appeared at GP yet Leuvis figured it in just a couple minutes. Yeah Violet doesn’t know about Lambda (at least I don’t think Emma shared that specific info from the pen with everyone else yet, instead focusing on the battle preparations) but Leuvis can barely see with his blurry vision and that was enough for him to piece it together somehow. Hell, it might not even be due to Adam’s crazy strength or the Lambd mark on his chest, but the fact he’s muttering Norman’s number? And perhaps Leuvis think this is Norman instead? I dunno, I’m having many odd, pointless thoughts so far.. ain’t that fun.

Leuvis must’ve ate a cat at some point since he still managed to land on his feet after taking countless shots midair.

You know it’s a problem when you find the villains relatable.

Ah, here’s the panel of Ray reloading. And Leuvis saying “my dear” is definitely something I don’t remember?? Oh my, this dude could be such a gentleman in literally any other kind of scenario ahhaha.

A fair attempt I suppose but y’all already know how much he is relying on sound now ever since the first flash bomb! That’s how Leuvis managed to take out Pepe! Even Palvus learned from the first mistake and is shielding his own eyes!

Yuugo’s jaw-dropping shot causing some damage outside the panel.

Leuvis is so darn clever bro. All he’s doing is dodging to buy some time before his sight and wounds regenerate and yet he’s still causing the kids to slip up and remain cautious.

How he can still manage to send Adam flying into the building with so much force when he can barely see and with his arm completely busted?? Leuvis is incredible and I really should’ve kept this psycho in my top ten like I originally planned.

Favorite panel/moment:

Okay, all things considered with how beat up Leuvis currently is, it’s insane that he moved fast enough and dealt such a fatal strike to his prime target. On the flip side however, this hurts SO MUCH! AAHH our poor girl!! I was beyond speechless upon reaching this moment for the first time because I had literally no idea how Emma could recover from this. To make matters worse, I distinctly remember when I read these past few chapters one morning and said to myself, “eh, I’ll read one more before I start work,” and lo and behold, this just so happened to be the moment I had to leave off on! Probably the worst kind of cliffhanger.. I was filled with anxiety and my mind was literally racing all day until my lunch break where I could finally see if this precious girl was gonna be okay.

As terrifying and worrisome as this moment is, it’s still one I was looking forward to the most had season two been animated correctly. The shock value alone of seeing the main character be impaled would’ve definitely made all viewers, whether mange reader or anime-only, freak out (myself included. especially if they blasted her “63194” theme here!) Also, would’ve loved to hear all the panic in Ray’s scream.

#the promised neverland #tpn manga #182daysoftpn #chidoroki used chatter

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ninhaoma-ya · 2 years

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Chapter 1053 — The new emperors

And it’s here! The final chapter before the break.

Feelings, both high and low, as well as revelations are in store. So without further ado, let’s delve in!

Morgans is my fave.

Nothing more to add.

(CP0-name! Guernica? Interesting… reference to Picasso in general or the painting in particular or Spain in very detailed focus?)

Edit: HUGE THING TO ADD!

Say what you will about reddit, but those historically-accurate-dudes do have their eyes with them! There’s a wild Sabo in the background! Looking all kinds of angry! WILL THE REVERIE-MYSTERY BE REVEALED AFTER THE BREAK?

Love the new bounty pictures! Kid is rising, rising, rising in my esteem, lovely little unhinged ball of metal and punk that he is.

And great subversion of expectations to give them the same bounty! Well played.

Proper, well-bred Jinbe. Love his patience and manners.

And the chaotic energy radiating from the others!

Yamato is clearly one of the team, although this could also be a “he’s enjoying his first real festival before he stays at Wano to help Momo”-type of Vivi-esque thing going on as well. Although Yamato has said repeatedly that he wants to leave and go adventuring, so that’s what I expect he’ll do.

Robin found her poneglyph! Just hoping for her to find the red one as well, although that might be this one with the shading as well. We’ll have to wait for Word of Oda for that.

Although I wish he could stop with his messiah-tendencies regarding dead people.

I get it, it’s not nice when people die. But in a story, they sometimes die for narrative purposes and bringing them back just makes the reader question the whole plot. “Welp, what was all that for?” is a question that springs to mind.

So of course Tengu-san can’t just be a sword smith. Of course he has to be the long-dead Kozuki Sukiyaki who also somehow managed to smithe several cursed blades that are still somehow good enough to be of exceptional quality that they are included in guide books on cool swords?

Seriously, not a fan of resurrecting people who (1) died in a flashback and (2) for a very good reason.

Oh well, looking forward to learning more about Pluton, at least.

Okay, new admiral is creepy and has some very unsettling daddy issues going on.

This whole spread is light an joy and pure delight. Have it all! Strawhats! Akazaya-members! Minks! Hamlet and Horselina! And oh, my weeping heart, the visual silence surrounding Kin’emon and Tsuru who are finally reunited.

And more heartwarming close-ups! This time of the rival crews, partying with the rest!

Really like Kid’s crew! Truly the most diverse one out there.

And then, the sweet little twist at the end of the Christmas cracker: the panels that summarise the extremes of my reactions to this chapter.

On one end: called it, with the new admiral being the break’s cliffhanger.

On the other: SWEET BABY GARP, BUGGY’S AN EMPEROR?

WHAT? HOW?

The last we saw of him, he’s egging his followers on after being ousted as a Shichibukai and trying to scarper in the settling dust.

…what happened in those <calculating> SEVEN DAYS BETWEEN THEN AND NOW?

…he’s getting his dream of being on par with Shanks, at least…?

Also, the flowers that spring up behind Ryokugyu are really interesting. Will he leave Wano a bountiful and green nation after the industrial wasteland brought by Kaido and Orochi, or is it a poisoned present?

Great chapter, I give it a bounty of 3 billion berry.

A nice little wrap-up with a cute little twist at the end. Take your well-deserved break, Oda!

#one piece #ch 1053 #opspoilers #one piece spoilers #nin reads one piece

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babyboibucky · 3 years

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The Match - Part 18

Pairing: CEO!Bucky x Fem!Reader

Summary: The day of the event is finally here.

Word Count: 6.5k LMFAO STRAP THE FUCK IN BESTIES

Warnings: Uhhhhhhhhhhh hmmm idk stress? Minor panic attack? The answers to majority of y’alls questions?

A/N: Thank @lokithealligator for threatening forcing me to post this earlier LMFAO It’s finally time for the event, y’all!!! The only reason why this part is so fucking long is because I didn’t want to split it into two parts and leave y’alls asses hanging from another cliffhanger (also I be inserting gifs/photos for references and MAKE SURE TO LISTEN TO THE SONG THAT I WILL BE LINKING IN A CERTAIN PART I BEG YOU) Anyway, I hope everyone will enjoy the event!!!

The Match Masterlist || MAIN MASTERLIST

Time check: 9:29am

Sanity check: About to lose it

The entire process of planning out the event went really smooth despite a few delays here and there. You didn’t encounter some major problems either so you were confident that the day itself would be just as smooth-sailing.

Much to your dismay, everything went wrong as soon as the day began.

You woke up feeling giddy and then the event stylist called and said that she had issues with her manpower. Not all of her people were free to bring in some of the fixtures needed for the venue so there was going to be a lot of going back and forth in delivering the items.

That wasn’t all too bad, the event doesn’t start until seven in the evening so you had plenty of time to figure shit out. But then the warehouse called and informed you that the latest car model— the very sole reason for this event— was damaged when it was being loaded into the truck and needed to be repaired.

You’ve been at the venue since eight in the morning, running errands and checking everything to ensure that the event was going to be a success. If more problems continue to pop out in the next few hours, you are going to be attending the event bald from how many times you were about to rip your hair out.

You were going through your event list when Martha approached you with an apologetic expression on her face, “Please tell me that nothing else went wrong.” you quickly told her.

She made a face, “The caterer called and said that they were encountering some issues in their kitchen.”

You were about to curse out loud when Martha was quick to calm you down, “But they’re figuring things out and they promised that the food will be here right in time for the event.”

You deadpanned, “If our guests starve tonight, I’m going to kill myself. Tell them that.” you said before quickly approaching the event stylist who was trying to get your attention.

“What do you got for me?” you asked.

“The signages are here…” she trailed.

You nodded, “And…?”

“The problem is that my men had to leave to get the other fixtures and we have no one to put them up.” she awkwardly grinned.

You closed your eyes and took in a sharp inhale, “I don’t understand how that’s my problem because as far as I can remember, you promised that everything will go perfectly well for today. Don’t you have other people you can ask to come over and help?” you asked, annoyed.

“I’m sorry, I’m really trying.” She apologized.

“Well, try harder because I’m about to go insane.” you snapped and walked away from her, needing a breather from everything that was going down.

You headed to the restroom and paced back and forth, balling your hands into fists as you tried to fight the panic attack that was threatening to hit you. Taking in a deep breath, you tried to hold it in before exhaling through your mouth. Your entire body was tense and you were finding it hard to breathe.

“Goddammit.” you huffed out, fanning yourself before washing your face with water.

Everything seemed to be so fucked up and it was messing with your mind. This event is a game-changer, both for you and the company. For Bucky, this was something personal given that his dad has been doubting him about his decision to let you lead the project. At some point, this was pretty personal for you too.

What if the event failed? The press was going to be there and it would bring so much embarrassment for Bucky. It’d embarrass you too, of course. The failure of the event could add fuel to the fire, especially with the issue surrounding Stark Enterprises being cut off as a major shareholder.

If the event failed, you’d end up disappointing Bucky, his dad, the entire team, Sam and most of all, yourself. All this hardwork but for what?

“Snap out of it, bitch what the fuck?” you whispered to yourself, knowing that you were already spiraling.

A series of knocks interrupted you, thankfully because you could feel the waterworks coming, “It’s open.” you called out as you straightened up yourself.

Much to your surprise, it was Bucky who was knocking. He was dressed casually, leather jacket on top of a black shirt and some black pants. If you weren’t so anxious right now, you would have realized that this was the first time you saw him in such an outfit and that he looked damn good in it.

“You’re not supposed to be here until the event.” you said.

He shrugged, “Thought I’d drop by and check on you.”

“Check on me or the event?” you asked back.

Bucky sighed, his expression remained blank. You weren’t sure whether he was mad or plain regretful that he let you spearhead the event.

“You. Needed to make sure you were fine. But as soon as I arrived, the event stylist immediately apologized and from there I kinda figured out what was going on.”

You opened your mouth to say something but quickly stopped when your chest tightened. There were a mixture of emotions swirling through you at that moment. Shame? Disappointment? You also felt apologetic because you’ve been so confident about leading this project but now here you were, halfway through a breakdown.

Was this your karma for fucking your boss?

“Hey, everything’s going to be fine.” Bucky said in a gentle voice upon seeing the look on your face.

He could still read through you obviously, he instantly knew what was going on inside your head just by seeing how stiff your body was. Perhaps if this happened long ago, you would have shut him down and walked out. But right now, when everything seemed to be in a complete mess, all you needed was a little bit of comfort.

Especially from Bucky.

“I just don’t want your dad to think that you made a mistake of trusting me with such a huge project.” you said, swallowing hard.

You hated how your voice wavered, how vulnerable you felt but also comforted that Bucky came by to check in on you.

Because you were truly losing it and no one was there to help you with it.

Bucky was careful to approach you, as if he didn’t want to break some boundaries. However, when you remained still, he took it as a sign and held your shoulders as he tried to catch your gaze.

“It’s not a mistake. We’ll figure things out, okay?” he reassured, rubbing your shoulders up and down to soothe you.

“But there are literally too many problems and we’ve only got like seven or eight hours left to fix them!” you panicked.

Bucky chuckled, cupping your cheek with his hand, “Listen to yourself, we’ve got eight hours left. I’m no genius in math but that sounds like a lot of hours.” he joked, making you laugh lightly.

“Look, whatever the outcome of this event is, I’d be happy about it. I’d still be proud of you and I would never regret entrusting this project to you.” he said, looking deeply into your eyes.

Your breath hitched in your throat but you tried to play it cool and nodded. The anxiety was still there but not as strong as it used to be. You could tell that you were slowly regaining control of yourself. You nodded in response and offered a small smile.

“Thanks, Bucky.”

Bucky smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear, “So, how can I help?”

Moments ago, you were close to losing your marbles from all the things that were going wrong. You were still close to losing it now, but only because of Bucky and the way he actually dropped everything to help put up the signages on the stage.

As soon as the both of you went back into the main hall, you told him about the situation with the displays and as if he wasn’t the CEO, he merely shrugged off his leather jacket and did most of the lifting. His tight black shirt did nothing to help because it only enhanced his build. You could feel your mouth dry up at the sight of his biceps expanding every time he carried something heavy, exposing the veins running down his forearm.

“Oh my god…” you heard the event stylist mumble to herself as she, too, gawked at Bucky.

Unable to help yourself, you cleared your throat and lifted a brow at her. “You do know that’s our CEO, right? Doing all the grunt work because you failed to properly coordinate with your team?” you threatened.

She was quick to close her mouth, mumbling yet another apology before walking away to fulfill her other tasks.

Bucky grunted as he lifted the signage higher, securing it properly before dusting off his hands as he approached you.

“That look okay?” he asked, looking up at the signages— the logos of his and Sam’s companies.

Your eyes were still trained on his arm, still swollen from the amount of lifting he had been doing. Thankfully, you snapped yourself out of your unexpected thirst before he could even notice. You cleared your throat and nodded, “Yeah, it looks good.” you commented, side-eyeing his bicep.

“You didn’t have to do that though. Kind of feels weird to have my boss help out with the event preparations.” you admitted with a chuckle.

Bucky shrugged, “I’ve always been hands on when it comes to running the company, you know that.” he said.

“Do you want to grab lunch? You need a break too.” he asked, checking his watch for the time.

You made a face, “I would love to but I still have to check on a lot of things.”

Bucky nodded, “Okay, just make sure to eat.” he reminded you before taking his jacket from one of the tables, putting it back on.

“I have to go but uhhh, I guess I’ll see you tonight.” he said as he pursed his lips together.

You nodded again, “I’ll talk to you tonight.”

“Hello...hi...good evening...welcome...to...ugh...it’s nice to meet you…” you groaned in front of the mirror as you nervously practiced your greetings for the event.

This was going to be the biggest event you’d ever organized and there were plenty of big names in the guest list. If it would truly end up as a disaster, you were going to set yourself on fire right then and there.

You fixed your hair in the mirror and checked your make-up, you looked decent. Not like the bags beneath your eyes were still visible despite the amount of concealer you packed onto your skin. This event was stressing the hell out of you for so many reasons and although you wanted to get it over with, part of you didn’t want the night to end just yet.

The end of the event only meant the beginning of some other things you needed to deal with.

Time check: 5:32pm

It was time to head to the venue and face what the future has in store for you. Taking one last look at yourself in the mirror, you took a deep breath in and headed out.

“What do you mean there’s no dessert?!” you practically screamed into your phone as your car screeched to a stop at the red light.

When you left the venue earlier that day, everything fell into place. Finally. After all the delays and shortcomings on the end of some suppliers, things worked out. But now, listening to Martha update you that the caterer’s oven broke down in the middle of baking, you were convinced that this was definitely your karma for fucking your boss.

“Martha, our guests will start arriving at seven! Did the caterer suggest something else?” you asked, your grip on your steering wheel tightening.

When Martha said that there was nothing else the caterer could do, you groaned out loud and thanked her for the update, saying that you’ll figure things out.

You started hitting your forehead on your steering wheel, cursing and thinking at the same time. Just when you thought that everything was finally coming together perfectly, shit like this had to happen.

And then you remembered something, or someone, rather.

Lifting your head up, you quickly searched for a name in your contacts and pressed call.

“Steve, I need your help.”

You reached the small bakery at around 6pm, which meant you had less than an hour left to head back to the venue. You needed to be there before the guests started arriving, or at least, before George Barnes arrived or else you and Bucky wouldn’t hear the end of it.

Hopping out of your car in full glam, you ignored the curious looks of the people when you ran inside the bakery, immediately spotting Steve by the counter, stacking boxes and boxes of pastries on top of each other.

“Oh thank god, Steve!” you panted, not noticing how Steve’s jaw dropped to the ground seeing you all dressed like that.

He blinked as he eyed you from head to toe, shaking his head in amusement and awe, “You look amazing.”

You chuckled, “Thank you but I gotta rush to the venue. How much is everything?” you asked.

Steve waved a hand, “I already paid for them.”

Your eyes almost popped out of their sockets, knowing that you practically wiped the bakery clean of their entire pastry stock and for Steve to be able to pay for them just like that? “I’ll pay you back, I just need to have our accounting department process it.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know you’re in a hurry, so let me help you load these up in your car so you can get going.” Steve said and began to bring the boxes to your car.

“Thank you so much!” you told him before turning to the owner of the shop, “And ma’am, thank you!” you told her.

She smiled kindly at you, “Sweetie, thank you for wiping our inventory clean.”

It didn’t take long for all the boxes to fill up both your backseat and trunk. You quickly slipped inside your car and brought the window down to thank Steve for the last minute favor. You knew that he was close with the owner of the bakery, so you thought that maybe he can help you with your dessert problem.

“I owe you, Steve. I’ll make it up to you.” you said and started the car, only for it to make a whirring sound before staying still.

Can this day get any worse?!

You tried to start the engine again but the same thing happened. Bowing your head, you gathered all your courage before looking up at Steve who was already staring at you expectantly.

“I think I’m gonna need to ask you another favor.”

“Calm down, you’re making me nervous with how restless you are. And I don’t even know what the hell is going on.” Steve said, sparing you a glance as he drove.

You sighed, “Sorry, it’s just that this event is a really big deal for me.” you said.

Steve laughed, “I can see that.” he said.

“I already asked you two favors, I might as well go for a third one. Can you go any faster?” you asked apologetically, seeing that you only had around thirty minutes left.

Steve gave you a confident smirk, “You asked for it.” he said before revving up the engine of his car and then stepping on the gas.

You’ve been in and out of calls during the entire ride, ensuring that everything was going smoothly and without any more problems. You called Mark and told him that you were nearby and needed help bringing in the pastry boxes.

As soon as you could see the venue coming into your view, you quickly fixed your hair and reapplied your lipstick.

“I swear to god if George is already there…” you murmured to yourself.

Steve snickered, “And who is this George you’re whispering about? Your asshole boss?” he asked.

You rolled your eyes, “Well, he used to own the company but now his son is the CEO.” you responded with nonchalance.

Steve frowned a bit, “George...you said you work in the automotive industry, right?” he asked.

You merely hummed in response, your attention focused on your phone as you messaged everyone on your team and informed them that you were nearby.

“Are you talking about George Barnes? Do you work for Barnes Group of Companies?” Steve asked again.

You nodded, still inattentive, “Yeah, it’s a long story why I need to be there before George arrives.”

“Your boss is James Barnes? Bucky Barnes?” Steve asked again, slowing down the car by the entrance of the venue.

“You know him?” you asked Steve with a confused look on your face, until you came to a realization at the same time he was about to answer your question.

“Bucky is—”

“Well, who doesn’t know him and his family? Why am I even surprised you know him.” you said with a chuckle, rushing to open the door when the car halted at the venue.

“Thank you so much, Steve! I swear, I’ll make it up to you. And please, don’t bother helping out with the boxes. We’ll do it from here, I don’t want to bother you any longer.” you said and stepped out, waving over at Mark and the catering staff to get the pastries.

“I see you found yourself a new man.” Mark teased as the both of you headed inside the venue. “And you look great, by the way. Good luck to Bucky in keeping his hands off of you.” he said.

You glared at him playfully, shaking your head. “He’s just a friend who happened to save the day.” you explained, “And you don’t look so bad yourself too.” you complimented, dusting off his suit before smirking, “Good luck to Janet in keeping his hands off of you.” you returned his joke before excusing yourself to check on how things are going.

Doing one last round of checking gave you somewhat the relief you have been wanting to experience since the day began. Finally, everything seemed to be perfect— the desserts were already laid out on the buffet table, the lights and sound system were working, tables were properly set— thank fuck for that.

Everyone from the company started arriving first and it was almost at exactly seven when you saw Bucky arrive, clad in a blue suit and black dress shirt inside. He had forgone the tie this time, leaving the top two buttons of his shirt open.

His eyes immediately met yours as soon as he entered the venue and the way he took in your appearance made you squeeze your thighs together. His blue eyes darkened at the sight of you wearing the dress he had given and you almost felt like you were standing there naked.

You sort of figured out why he probably went with this dress. It wasn’t that revealing but it showed the right amount of skin that could make one’s imagination go wild, at least his own imagination.

You pretended to be busy, chatting up the staff of the venue and giving them reminders how to treat the guests, but not without stealing quick glances at Bucky. He was surveying the surroundings carefully as he approached you, as if not wanting to be obvious that he wanted to talk to you as soon as he got there.

“Hi.” he greeted shyly.

You smiled at him, “Hi.”

“You look beautiful.” Bucky complimented, looking at you from head to toe.

The way his eyes scanned your exposed leg (thanks to the thigh-high slit that your dress had) made your throat dry and when he looked at you like that? You would’ve clutched your pearls if you wore one.

Any woman would swoon when gazed at like that.

“It’s the dress you bought.” you said, dodging the compliment. “You look handsome, Mister Barnes.” you teased, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Your smile faltered as soon as your line of sight went past Bucky towards his father who had just arrived. Bucky noticed the change in your demeanor and turned around, his shoulders dropping when his father approached him.

“Thought you wouldn’t show up.” Bucky said, placing his hands inside the pockets of his pants.

George snickered, “And miss this event for the world? I don’t think so.” he said before turning to you, “Besides, I’m intrigued how this night would turn out. Someone did promise a successful event.” he said, keeping his eyes on you.

You fought the urge to roll your eyes at the audacity of this man. Well, you were still nervous but of course, you weren’t going to show that. You lifted your chin up and put on the best smile you could, “I’m glad you were able to make it, should I usher you to your table?” you asked.

George shook his head, frowning at your confidence yet again. “I can manage, thank you.” he said before turning to Bucky.

“We’re not done talking about Stark yet.” he said in a warning tone.

Bucky snickered, “We are done talking about that. Make sure you stay until the end of the program, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” he said, using his father’s words meaningfully.

George gave you one last look before leaving. The guests began to slowly arrive and of course, Bucky needed to be the one to welcome and entertain them.

He turned to you with a hopeful smile, “Talk to you later?” he asked.

You nodded, “Talk to you later.”

The event seemed to be a success, with all the guests praising the set-up and the food. You had been going around and greeting everyone, ushering them to their seats and informing them of the program.

Bucky and Sam were both busy mingling with a lot of other well, rich people— from fellow CEOs to politicians and maybe even potential shareholders.

Your chest swelled with pride seeing this project come to life despite all the stress you encountered throughout the day. As you were conversing with one of the press, your eyes caught Bucky’s while he, too, was in the middle of a conversation. He threw a flirty smile your way before he gave you that look, yet again.

The proud look, one where he’d tilt his head while lifting an eyebrow at you and of course, the classic smirk that always made you clench your thighs together.

Man, and it’s only eight in the evening.

When everyone was almost done with dinner, the program finally began with the host welcoming everyone to the event. She talked a bit about both Bucky and Sam’s companies and why the partnership was one for the books.

A video introducing the latest model was played and as soon as it was over, the host called Bucky up on stage to officially launch the product.

In the years you have worked in his company, you had never witnessed him in such a situation. Prior to matching with him on Tinder, you’d only seen him in meetings and small launches. Nothing to this scale but now, watching Bucky talk so eloquently and confidently about the new product, you’d realized how different he was when in his element.

This was James Barnes, the CEO of Barnes Group of Companies.

How he was able to command the entire room to pay their full attention to him as he talked about the new technologies and the partnership with Wilson Enterprises, you couldn’t believe that this was the same immature man you had been dealing with.

You almost felt intimidated by him as he talked on stage.

You snapped out of your thoughts when the entire venue burst in a round of applause, with some of them even standing from their seats. You’d seen how George looked both impressed and embarrassed, probably by how he doubted his very own son.

Bucky looked proud as he waited for the applause to die down and when the room was quiet again, he took it as a chance to conclude his speech.

“Before anything else, I would like to thank everyone for coming here today. To my team who worked tirelessly to make this new product possible, to all our shareholders for sticking to our side, I am very grateful. I am most especially grateful to the person who is responsible for making this event possible.” He said, his eyes quickly finding you in the sea of people.

Your heartbeat accelerated when he acknowledged you publicly, your hand automatically went up to your chest to rub at it, trying to calm down your racing heart.

You thought it would end there, but then Bucky mentioned your name and motioned towards you. In an instant, all eyes were on you.

“She’s the one behind all this and without her, there wouldn’t even be an event right now. So, if anyone planned on congratulating me for the success of this launch, congratulate her instead.” He said.

You awkwardly looked around and returned the smiles that everyone gave you.

“Congratulations, honey.” A familiar voice called out.

A delicate hand wrapped around your arm and upon turning to your side, you saw that it was Mackenzie. She looked stunning as always, dressed in a long sleeved white, body-fitting dress with a plunging neckline.

“I’m so happy you came, Kenzie!” You greeted, giving her a hug.

“Of course, we’ve got history.” She teased before looking around, “And this is amazing. I knew you could pull this off better than I ever could.” She praised with an impressed look.

“Thank you.” you laughed, “How have you been?” You asked.

“Oh you know, same old same old. And you? How are you and Bucky? Seems like things are better now than when I left.” She said, voice insinuating at something.

You chuckled, “Better, I would say. But we’ve got a lot to talk about still.” You admitted.

“Well, I hope everything goes well. And if you need anything, and I mean anything, you have my number.” She said, taking your hand. “I’m gonna go grab myself some more of those Strawberry Tarts, they’re really good.”

You laughed and bid goodbye before focusing back on Bucky who seemed to be about to wrap up on his speech.

“And since everyone is already here, I would like to announce that Wilson Enterprises is now our largest shareholder. Please welcome my partner and good friend, Sam Wilson.”

There was a collective gasp followed by applause when Bucky made the announcement. Even you couldn’t hold back on the surprised expression.

Seemed like the night was going to be full of surprises.

The program has ended and everyone was left to mingle. The press immediately jumped at the opportunity to interview both Bucky and Sam as soon as they got offstage.

“Congratulations on the event, you did a great job.” Someone you recognized as a chief editor for a magazine told you as you walked around the venue.

You received a couple more acknowledgements, even from politicians and needless to say, you were proud of yourself for being able to pull this off.

“So, I guess you need to treat Bev and I to lunch.” Mark said as he and Beverly approached you.

“Bestie, congrats! This event is amazing! And the aesthetic? Ugh, I’ve already taken so many photos all over the place!” She squealed with delight.

Mark groaned, “Yeah, well you could at least credit me when you upload those photos.” He complained.

“We’ll definitely go out for dinner and drinks. It’s on me.” You said with a smile.

Beverly’s grin faltered when she remembered your resignation but you made sure to shut it down as soon as you noticed her look.

“Let’s just have fun tonight, okay?” You reminded her.

“Excuse me, may I steal the star of the night for a while?”

You looked back and saw that it was Sam. He looked really dashing in his three-piece black suit paired with that billion-watt smile of his.

Mark and Bev excused themselves and left you with Sam, “Dibs on your first dance for tonight?” He asked, offering his arm.

You heartily laughed and hooked your arm in his, following him out into the dancefloor where majority of the guests were already swaying to the music.

“Mister Shareholder, huh?” You asked. “Since when?”

“It’s been on my mind for quite a while now, and then Bucky told me about the situation with Stark Enterprises. I figured it was a sign for me to push through with this decision.” He explained as the both of you started to slow dance.

“Have you decided on my offer?” Sam was quick to jump right into it.

You hummed, “I thought about it really hard. It’s the biggest offer I’d ever received, in my entire life.” You admitted.

When you read the agreement that Sam gave you that one night, you were so tempted to take the offer. It was for a Chief Operating Officer role anyway. COO. The second in the chain of command of a company. It was like ten steps ahead of your current position.

Who would turn that down?

“And I can’t accept it, Sam. I’m sorry.” You apologized, shaking your head.

“I don’t think I’m ready for that responsibility and as much as I am flattered that you even considered me for that position, I have a lot more things I need to learn.” You explained.

Sam smiled, “I figured you would turn it down.” He said, much to your surprise. “I was hoping you wouldn’t because I see potential in you. You can take on that role, but I also respect your decision. But I want you to know that you are capable of it. Never doubt your skills. I’ve seen it first hand.” He said.

You tightened your grip on Sam’s shoulder as you danced, giving him a big smile before leaning in for a friendly hug.

“Thank you, Sam. This means the world to me.” You said and pulled back.

Sam sighed, “I am kinda bummed out, but I understand. If you ever changed your mind, let me know.” He said.

“You’d be the first to know, trust me.” You laughed.

“Mind if I cut in?”

You turned at the sound of Bucky’s voice. As if on cue, the music changed into a slower, more sensual one and the lights dimmed into a warm, orange glow. The people on the dance floor slowly began to disperse, leaving some couples to sway to the romantic music.

Sam turned to you and winked before patting Bucky’s arm, “She’s all yours, Barnes.” He said before leaving you with Bucky.

Bucky seemed to hesitate to place his hands on your waist so you made the first move and rested your hands on his shoulders. There was enough distance between both your bodies and yet this was the closest you've been with him after quite a while. You evened out your breathing when you felt Bucky's hands finally land on your waist, his fingers oh so slightly pressing down against the fabric of your dress.

“I told you this will be a success. Congratulations.” he said.

You shook your head, “Everyone helped out; congratulations to us. And to the new shareholder. Is that why you asked your father to stay until the end of the program? What did he say?” you curiously asked.

“He left after the announcement. He’s never been too keen on Wilson Enterprises.” Bucky chuckled, licking his lips.

You nodded in understanding, clearing your throat as the both of you slowly danced to the music. There was an awkward pause for a brief moment, as if neither wasn’t sure whether now was the time for the talk.

“I’m surprised you skipped on the tie tonight.” you commented, knowing that Bucky always wore one during big events.

Bucky smiled, removing one hand from your waist as he reached for something in his back pocket. He dangled a bowtie right in front of your face as he laughed, “I forgot to put it on. I was running late.”

You threw your head back as you chuckled, taking the bowtie before squinting at Bucky, “And why were you running late Mister CEO?” you asked.

“I was nervous.” Bucky admitted.

“Nervous, huh? Were you second-guessing the success of this event?” you raised an eyebrow at him.

Bucky merely forced out a chuckle before shaking his head, “I was nervous about talking to you.” he said, catching your gaze.

The silence that followed was uncomfortable, in the sense that there were things left unsaid. There was a little bit of tension but it was balanced out by the yearning that the both of you felt in that moment.

“The floor is all yours.” you said and as if it was second nature, you started buttoning up Bucky’s dress shirt before wrapping his bowtie around his neck, tying it and adjusting it.

Bucky audibly breathed out at your action, his shoulders tensing up a bit until you soothed them down with your hands. He kept on licking his lips as he tried to find his words and this time, you allowed him to take his time without any interruptions.

“I’m sorry.” he started, “I’ll never stop apologizing for what I did to you because you didn’t deserve that. I was selfish, I didn’t know how to deal with being said no to. I...I grew up not knowing my place in the lives of the people I considered special. My mom left to be with another man because my dad is shitty. My existence wasn’t enough to stop her from leaving and my dad kept on blaming me, saying that maybe I was too much to handle. I was a spoiled kid and I grew up, still spoiled.” Bucky explained.

Your heart ached for Bucky upon hearing his childhood, not that it was a valid excuse for his behavior, but it was somehow enlightening.

“My mom’s new husband has a son too, around my age. He’s way better than I am, at least that’s what I felt growing up being compared to him most of the time. Even my dad thinks he’s better than I am.” Bucky scoffed.

“The first girl I loved also left, she said that I wasn’t doing enough to make her stay. I wanted her to stay, but I was afraid if I showed her how much I loved her, she’d think I’m too much and leave. She still left anyway.” he breathed out and you could feel his grip tighten around your waist.

“My point is...when I care about someone, I don’t know how to show it. I’m going to be honest, when you rejected me, the way I reacted was because of my ego. But the more you started to distance yourself, the more afraid I got because I didn’t want to lose you. And my ego was replaced by fear and I didn’t want to lose you the same way I lost my mom, my first love...I fought for you but all in the wrong ways.” he said.

“I didn’t want you to think that letting you go was that easy for me. And then Sam appreciated you, treated you the way I should have and my insecurities got the best of me. Being compared to someone better than me messed me up and seeing you with Sam...it just...it struck a nerve and I lost control and said things I shouldn’t have. You didn’t deserve that and I am truly sorry for hurting you.” Bucky’s voice was strained, as if he was giving it his all not to break.

And for the first time since the entire ordeal happened, you finally understood him. You didn’t regret your outburst, Bucky needed that wake up call to fix his attitude. But now, you were slowly figuring him out.

He wasn’t perfect but he was trying. You could see that now.

“I’m so sorry about your past.” you mumbled, bowing down.

Bucky called out your name gently, “You shouldn’t be. This was all me and thanks to you, I realized how much of an ass I was.” he laughed.

“I’m not going to force you to forgive me...I just wanted you to know that you’re so much more than what you think. And you deserve so much better than me or this company. You’re in good hands with Sam.” Bucky sadly said, avoiding your eyes as he looked around his surroundings.

“I turned down his offer.” you said.

Bucky’s head snapped back at you, eyes wide and somewhat hopeful. Before he could even assume, you quickly clarified things.

“But I’m not staying either.” you said. “I think it’s also time for me to try out other things, you know?”

Bucky nodded, his eyes sad. However, he managed to give you a genuine smile. “I understand.”

“Thanks, Bucky.” you said. “Thank you for trusting me and for respecting my decision.”

Thinking that everything was finally addressed, you sort of got disappointed that Bucky didn’t say anything else. Not that you were expecting him to say something. Definitely not expecting.

You stopped swaying to the music and tried to step back but then Bucky didn’t let you go. His hands stayed on your waist and his eyes on yours. His mouth was open agape, as if he wanted to say something but just couldn’t bring himself to do so.

“You okay?” you worriedly asked.

Bucky nodded, “I just…”

“You just…what?” you urged.

“I wanted you to know that…” Bucky trailed, his eyes dilating as he gazed at you with an expression you couldn’t quite put a finger on.

“When I said that I didn’t know how to show it when I cared about someone,” Bucky started and for some reason, your heart began to pound heavily against your ribcage.

You didn’t know why your palms started to sweat and why you felt restless all of a sudden as you waited for Bucky to speak up. He too seemed to be going through the same thing because you could feel his fingers dig into the fabric of your dress the same way your hands were tightening their grip on his shoulders.

“Bucky, what are you trying to say?” you insisted.

Bucky looked up at you, his eyes scanning your features from your nose down to your lips before going back to your eyes. And in that moment, you already knew what he was going to say before he even said it out loud.

“I’m in love with you and it drives me crazy.”

#bbb writes #the match #bucky barnes #bucky #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x you #bucky x reader #fem!reader #bucky barnes smut #bucky smut #sebastian stan

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cest-la-vieve · 2 years

Text

A Court of Pain and Pleasure (Ch. 6)

Summary: Evelyn prepares for the trip to Prythian... dreading some of the things she has to do before then

Word Count: 2.3k (sorry this one is so short but it’s just to set up for Ch. 7 👀)

Warnings: Chronic disability/pain, slight cussing, another cliffhanger but hey that’s how it goes

Notes: okay we are catching up to all that i have written but i literally cannot wait to post this soooo guess i’ll just have to write more! please enjoy and let me know what y’all think!

Next Chapter: Chapter Seven

ACOPAP Masterlist

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I spent the next day giddily packing my bags. I had refused any help from the servants, too full of nervous energy to allow anyone to do anything for me. I paced from my dresser to my bag and to my dresser again as I debated what to pack. Would it be cold? Or would they have magic preventing anyone from feeling it? I decided to just pack of variety of clothes, thinking I could go shopping with Feyre once I finally got there.

The piece of paper Rhys had given me sat on my nightstand, waiting for me to use it to go to the place of my dreams. I glanced at it every once in a while as I packed, using it to confirm that this was, indeed, real. I had planned to take today to pack and tomorrow to… let Cyril know I was leaving. I hadn’t quite decided what I was going to tell him about where I was going. Maybe I could reuse Feyre’s excuse of a sick aunt, I snickered to myself. Cyril, unfortunately, would demand to go with me and spend excessive amounts of items to help me be comfortable while I aided said aunt.

I told myself to pack at least half of what I wanted to bring, unsure if I would need to travel lightly or not. So that’s how the day passed, packing and puttering around the house. The day came and went, much quicker than I would have liked. I fell into a fitful sleep, plagued by nightmares of the war that could destroy the things and people I love most. The worst dreams were the ones where something terrible befell Cyril as a result of my choice to leave him.

When I woke, I was covered with sweat and exhausted from a night of not-quite sleep. The sun was just barely rising over the horizon and the birds were likely just waking to spread their wings and start their songs. I took a moment to soak it in, the mortal world, a place that was so simple yet so beautiful in its own way. The people here cared more about parties and who rewear a dress, how much they could sell a pelt for, and who had the higher-ranking family name than anything happening beyond the Wall. I wondered what the faeries were plagued with, what their day-to-day worries were.

I stretched my sore limbs and climbed out of bed. Today, I had to confront Cyril. We had scheduled a lunch, under the guise of discussing our wedding, and I was not looking forward to breaking his heart. This, though, I had to do for myself.

The night that Nesta had asked me about marriage, I had told her I was waiting to live my life first and experience something meaningful. When I had thought it obvious that wasn’t going to happen, I allowed myself to be swept away by Cyril and the normalcy he brought. And now here was my chance to get a taste of that life I was talking about.

Noon came around and I paced the living room, much to Elain’s annoyance. She had brought a gardening book to read in front of our bay window, hoping to master a new kind of plant or flower or produce - I wasn’t sure which.

“Will you quit your pacing? Your stress is beginning to wear off on me,” she asked politely.

“Forgive me for being stressed about breaking a good man’s heart,” I simply replied.

“If you’re that worried about it, then don’t do it,” I shot her an incredulous look, “I’m serious, Eve. Cyril is a good man who would take care of you. You deserve someone as kindhearted as him, someone who loves you as much as he does.” “I also deserve a chance to live my life.” She gave me a sympathetic look but before she could respond, a knock sounded on the door.

I took a deep breath. Here we go.

I swung open the door and greeted Cyril with a pained smile, though he didn’t seem to notice. He greeted Elain where she perched on the windowsill then offered me his arm.

We began our usual trek to town for lunch but I stopped him a little ways from my family’s manor.

I cleared my throat, “We have something to discuss.”

“Yes, darling,” he smiled, “The wedding, which would be more easily spoken about over a hot lunch.”

“Yes, the wedding, but not in the way you think.” He stopped in his tracks.

I noticed his confusion and hesitated to go on. For Prythian. For myself. I gathered the courage before meeting his gaze and stating, “I’m… leaving, Cyril.”

“What?”

“I have to… go.” “Go where?”

I frowned. “I can’t tell you.”

He ran a hand through his blonde hair, mussing it up. “You have to go but you can’t tell me where… is there another man?”

I looked at him incredulously, “Absolutely not! I just… I have some soul searching to do. I want to have new experiences and be free to grow on my own without worrying about what it will do to someone else. I want to make mistakes and learn from them. I want to learn about people who are different from me. I just want to… see something new and exciting and different.”

“So go, then come back, and we’ll get married.” “I can’t marry you, Cyril. I’m not planning on coming back.”

“Evelyn, you can’t be serious.” But I gave him a look that said I most definitely was. “Eve, we just got engaged. We have a wedding to plan - a future to plan. Where is this coming from all of a sudden? Is Nesta sending you away or something?”

I bristled at the insinuation that my sister had something to do with this. “My sister is not involved in the decisions I make. And it’s not out of nowhere - it’s what I’ve always dreamed of doing. Maybe if you took your head out of your own ass, you’d be able to understand what it’s like to dream of something… more.”

He gaped at me. I could tell he was upset and confused, but he wasn’t even trying to understand how important this was to me. I had known this wouldn’t be easy but I was hoping he would at least try to see that this is what I truly wanted.

When he didn’t respond, I figured I should end the conversation there. There wasn’t much more to say, anyways. I was leaving and that was that.

I grabbed his hand and opened it so his palm faced the sky. I gently slid the ring off my finger and placed it in his palm before closing his hand and placing a light kiss on his knuckles. “Goodbye, Cyril. May you find endless happiness.” And with that, I turned and began walking back to the manor.

“And you won’t even do me the basic courtesy to tell me where you’re going?” He yelled after me.

I stopped in my tracks and considered it. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt at this point… I turned, smiled as wide as I possibly could, and shouted back, “I’m going to Prythian!” The shocked look on his face didn’t bring me any guilt or pain, only excitement as I spoke the words allowed for the first time.

There was a skip in my step all the way home. I knew it wouldn’t be easy hurting Cyril like that, but in my 21 years of being alive, I had developed a very low tolerance for certain types of people. I learned how to cut people off without dwelling on it. When we lost our fortune and our supposed “friends” refused to help, I simply stopped thinking about them or worrying about their opinions of me. With Cyril, he had been nothing but kind to me, but for my own well-being, it was better to push those feelings of sadness aside and focus on the joy I had about what was waiting for me in Prythian.

I opened the door and heaved a sigh, letting the negative energy out of me in one fell swoop. Elain looked up from her book, in the same spot she had been when I left but she didn’t comment as I trudged upstairs.

Instead of going to my room to stare at more boxes and bags, I walked to Nesta’s study and knocked on the door. Her voice came through the door in a shout of invitation. I opened the door and slid my way into the room, shutting it behind me.

One glance at my empty finger and her face hardened before focusing on whatever papers were in front of her.

“Nesta,” a hum of disinterest came from her, “I only have a few days left before I leave, and I… Well, I was hoping to spend them with you and Elain. No wedding planning, no talks of the future, perhaps some games or walks in the garden and a family dinner?”

She looked up at me again, “Perhaps,” was all she said.

I glowered at her. So that’s how we were gonna play this. She was going to keep that cold front up all the way until the moment I left, so she didn’t have to face the reality of me being gone. I understood why it was easier for her to do it this way, but it was still damn frustrating. If that’s what she wanted, though, who was I to argue?

I left the room without another word and spent the next two days as far away from Nesta as the manor would allow.

I spent one day with Elain in the garden and despite her hesitance and discomfort with all things Fae-related, she asked me to write to her and describe the plants they had in the foreign land beyond the Wall. I told her I would be more than happy to do so, maybe I’d even draw her a picture of one. We both laughed at this, knowing that if I truly wanted to capture a Prythian flower, I’d have to go to Feyre. She got all the artistic talent of the family.

We sat outside, enjoying the sun and each other’s company, before retiring and having a lovely dinner together. Nesta’s absence was noticed by both of us, but not mentioned.

The other day, I spent finalizing my packing and walking alone through the large estate that had become home. I realized that while I lived here and could call it home, it had never really felt like that. Sometimes I would have glimmers of it when Nesta would shove me playfully after I would make a particularly distasteful or inappropriate remark or when Elain and I would chase each other down the halls when the other had teased us. It was home in the same way that the small cottage we lived in had been home. The nights spent with Feyre preparing the meat she had hunted for us, curled up with Elain as she would comb my hair to soothe me, or even seeing my father sitting in his chair with his leg placed near the fireplace.

They were home, my sisters. And while I was leaving two of them behind… I knew I could also find that sense of home in myself, by doing something I wanted to do.

That day was my day of peace and reflection before everything went to hell.

My final day was when it happened. I was meant to message Rhysand that day with my final decision and be picked up the following morning to be taken (how, I had never asked) to that magical city. I put it off until the last possible moment, hoping to bask in the remaining time with my older sisters.

Nesta had actually lingered near me all day, though she didn’t speak up about my coming trip. She simply kept her presence around, whether she was reading in the same room as me or even just silently observing. I appreciated it more than she knew. I knew it was her way of saying goodbye.

We even had a family dinner, as I wanted. The three of us joked around with no mention of weddings or anything else that normally plagued our conversations. Just friendly banter between sisters. Sisters who truly cared for each other and would do anything for one another.

Nesta told me as much when she hugged me tight outside of my bedroom. All three of us had changed into our nightgowns but were loitering in the hallway, not wanting to say goodnight just yet. She crushed me to her and whispered in my ear, “I would burn the world for you. If they touch you or look at you the wrong way, I’ll be there.”

I smiled as a tear slid down my face. She would. She would burn the world and sacrifice much, much more for me if I just said the word.

Elain gave me a more delicate hug and made me promise to take care of myself and keep them posted about my activities. I told her that she could update me about her wedding plans in return, but I couldn’t promise to feign excitement about it. We all shared a small laugh over that.

Eventually, we began to yawn and realized we had done all that we could to delay the inevitable. I retreated into my room and was settling myself into bed when the entire house shook.

I jumped to my feet when I heard Elain’s screams. Nesta’s cruel voice cut through the house with demands about what was going on. I barely had time to process and come up with a plan when my door burst open and two High Fae rushed in. I ran to my dresser and scribbled a single word on that otherwise pristine piece of paper before the High Fae grabbed me.

Help.

---

Tag list: @mis-lil-red

#acotar #acomaf #acowar #acosf #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #nesta archeron #elain archeron #feyre archeron #rhysand #feysand #azriel smut #azriel shadowsinger x reader #azriel x ofc #azriel shadowsinger x ofc #azriel x reader

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misteria247 · 3 years

Text

"Her name is (Y/N)....."

Who would of thought that one little sentence would cause such an emotional turmoil. Deuce and Ace could only stare at the small boy, unable to comprehend what they'd just heard. It was a name that they hadn't heard in six long years. A name that even to this day caused them to get a bit upset.

"Are.....are you sure that's your mom's name.....?"

Deuce asked a bit breathless by the sudden crash of emotions that was hitting him. Ace on the other hand was just stunned beyond belief, unable to really think of anything to say.

"Yeah I'm sure......why.....?"

Elliott asked with a small head tilt. Deuce sucked in a sharp breath at the movement, the head tilt being nearly identical to yours. Ace just shook his head still in shock.

"I can't believe it......(Y/N)'s a mom......holy-"

Ace muttered trying to wrap his head around it before realizing something.

"Wait......if you're here that means.....!"

Ace started to say trailing off before Deuce picked up on what he was saying.

"She's here.....she's back in Twisted Wonderland.....! She's got a kid too......!"

Deuce said in awe before his expression furrowed in confusion.

"But wait.....if (Y/N) is the mom then who's the dad....?"

Deuce asked puzzled. Ace took another look at Elliott before seeing exactly who the father was.

"I think I figured it out.....it's him....."

Ace said. Deuce first looked confused before it clicked.

"No way he's.....!"

Deuce gasped stunned.

"There's no doubt about it. He's practically a clone of him."

Ace nodded in confirmation. Deuce was about to reply when he was interrupted.

"Wait.....do.....do you two know my mama......?? And.....and my papa.......??"

Elliott asked not daring to get his hopes up with the last question. If Ace and Deuce knew you then from the sounds of it they knew his father too. If they knew who his father was.......maybe Elliott could finally see you be happy completely and finally get his answers that he'd been desperately wanting. Ace and Deuce froze at Elliott's questions, the boy's hurt elbow all but forgotten about as he tried to get information. The two men were at a loss. They had no idea if they should answer Elliott's question about his father, given that you might not want Elliott to know. Plus the last thing the boys wanted to do is be reunited with you and then piss you off with something like this.

"Uh.....we do know your mama. She was a very old friend of ours. As for your papa......"

Deuce trailed off not knowing what to say. Ace thankfully took over.

"We don't know him very well."

Ace finished. Elliott deflated at this, his green eyes dimming slightly.

"O-oh......."

He said softly, looking down at the ground. Ace and Deuce felt themselves fill with guilt for having somewhat lied to the small child.

"Hey we might not have the answers you're seeking, but we do know someone who has some of them. But first I think we should get your arm fixed up and try to find your mama okay?"

Deuce said keeping the child close to him. Elliott gave a small nod, wanting to fix his stinging elbow and find you. Ace just kept quiet, his thoughts racing. He never imagined that he'd ever see you again, especially as a parent and in a mess like this. And he knew that Deuce was thinking the same thing he was. With Elliott now in Deuce's arms the duo made their way towards the one person who could help them at the moment.

~~~~~

Elliott clung to Deuce, keeping an eye out for his mother and taking in the sights around him. He took notice of some of the people who were now slowly starting to fill the once abandoned campus. Standing under the shade of a large tree was a rather tall, nervous looking man who had long flowing blue hair that looked like flames. Next to him was what looked like a robot teenager, who happily chattered away at him. Elliott couldn't help but notice that they looked like the one statue he'd seen of the man with the flames for hair. Further along the growing crowd was another group of men who looked like their were business men. Two of them were incredibly tall and the third one was rather pretty in Elliott's opinion. The two tall men had teal hair and different colored eyes, almost like they were twins. While the shorter one had steel blue hues and wavy silver hair.

A few more groups caught the young boy's attention rather quickly. One of them was filled with beautiful people who looked like they belonged in a movie or a story book. The leader of the group was the fairest of them all, looking absolutely stunning. Elliott was spell bound for a moment before the other man who wore a funny hat turned towards them and caught Elliott's eye. The strange man gave a smile when he noticed the small child and waved at him. Elliott waved back hesitantly before curling up into Deuce's shoulders more. Another group had two men who looked like they came straight out of the stories his mama read to him with the genies and magic carpets. The shortest of the duo had white hair and was dressed in the finest clothes, a beaming smile on his face as he talked to the taller man next to him. The other man was more serious looking, his hair long and braided nicely as he just nodded along to whatever the other man was saying.

Elliott also noticed that they were holding hands, and standing rather close to one another. The child tilted his head in confusion, thinking about the Arabian princess and her prince for some reason. As the trio made their way further into the school they passed another group of men. These men had animal ears. One man looked like a hyena with blonde hair and mischievous blue eyes, snickering under his breath as his companion, a large man with unruly brown hair filled with braids listened. Bright green eyes just stared irritated at his snickering companion, a scar decorating his face.

"Oi what are you staring at?"

A growling voice came from the man with the scar. Elliott let out a gasp and hid into Deuce. Deuce meanwhile looked up and went wide eyed and Ace just bit back a groan.

"L-Leona Senpai-! It's been awhile!"

Deuce said giving a small bow in nervousness. Ace rolled his eyes at his companion, slightly jumpy with the sudden stop from their destination.

"Oh it's you.....Deuce and Ace. It has been awhile. Tell your cub to keep his eyes to himself."

Leona growled simply before leaving without even so much as a goodbye. It was quite obvious that he wasn't in the mood for chitchat. His companion gave them a somewhat amused yet apologetic look before giving a small salute and following behind him. The duo seemed to sag with relief.

"Oh thank Seven he didn't notice. Now we can finally get to the person who can help you-"

Deuce started to say only to nearly jump out of his skin at a terrifyingly familiar voice. Ace jumped as well at the voice going pale rather quickly.

"May I ask.....why do you have a child with you? You'd think that after graduation......you would have learned to follow the rules......"

The voice said sounding pleasant but at the same time it brought chills to the two men. Even after six years they still had a fight or flight response with this person.

"Ah you shouldn't be so harsh on them. They're grown men after all."

Another voice chimed in sounding much more relaxed.

"Ahhhhh-!!! Look at this cutie!!! I definitely need a photo of his cute little face!!!"

Another voice chirped before a pair of hands gripped Elliott's cheeks in a gentle manner. Standing in front of him and the A-Deuce duo were three men that Elliott had never seen before. However........they seemed to know Deuce and Ace rather well.

Something told Elliott that this might take awhile before he finally got to see his mama again.

*Oh my God I'm alive hello! First I wanna apologize for the long hiatus, things have been extremely hectic and I haven't had a lot of time to write. But I finally managed to get something done for y'all so I consider that a win!!! Also let's play the game of guess who was mentioned here in Elliott's observations and who are the mystery trio at the end of the beloved cliffhanger! Sorry if this sucks shdhdhfhh. Anyways if any y'all read this I hope you enjoyed it!!! And onwards to our tagging list!!!!! @genshin-idiot @ditsy-anime-thot @ctannth @reaperfeels @thatjessawall @simpformangas!!!!*

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acourtofsnakes · 3 years

Text

E’tad - Rogue, Chapter 9| The Mandalorian x Force Sensitive! Reader (f)

Summary: You are going about your time in Nevarro, completely unaware of the struggle and frantic journey the Mandalorian is making. Will he get there in time?

Warnings: A bit of violence/swearing, mentions of death/blood, alcohol/drinking

AN: I’m really sorry that this chapter isn’t as gripping as the others. I’ve been super overwhelmed lately and been struggling to get my ideas down into actual words. I’ve been working on this for way longer than the word count reflects and just wanted to get it out. You can still count on a cliffhanger ending though, of course ♥︎

Also, I’m sorry if there’s parts that aren’t canon. I definitely made up a couple of the planets and potentially bits of Nevarro.

Not yet beta read.

Word Count: 4832

As always, credit to whoever owns the gif. I usually find them on Google or Pinterest, so message me if it’s yours ♥︎

Rogue Taglist: @snipskixandbeskar @weirdowithnobeardo @the-bottom-of-the-abyss @jackgrzs @sarahjkl82-blog @boomtownboy @goldielocks2004

Mando’a translation: E'tad - seven

You’d been in Nevarro for a few days now.

Things were going... okay?

No. Things were going well. Really well. You felt safer here, knowing that Cara and Greef were monitoring who was coming and going and making sure they posed no threat to you.

There were a few tense moments, times when government officials came wandering past, but you always stayed hidden out of the way.

No one looked twice at you here – and if they did, it wasn’t for long.

When you first walked through the town, you found Cara and Greef waiting for you just inside the gates.

They were kind, welcoming too. Greef took your bag and welcomed you to the planet, whilst Cara smiled at you and shook your hand. You sensed that she was strong, determined and loyal to her cause and friends. She had a kindness in her eyes though, and it put you at ease.

These were Mando’s friends. He trusted them to take care of you, so that meant you’d be able to trust them too.

They had shown you around, giving you a tour of the places that you might need, like markets and small stores, but also the places to avoid.

When you’d had your tour, they showed you to a quaint building a short walk away from the centre of town.

There were only 4 floors to the building, and about 2 rooms on each floor. Stopping on the third floor, they had showed you where you’d be staying.

Cara had apologised for it being more on the minimal side, but you’d shaken your head quickly. This was more than you’d had in… years.

There was a little kitchenette area to prepare food, a lounge space with a slightly ragged looking armchair and table. To the right of the space was a curtained off sleeping area, containing a thin, but comfy looking cot and then just off of that a washing area. There was a decent-sized metal tub, big enough for you to be able to sit in and just extend your legs comfortably.

It might not have been grand, or spacious but it was a home. A place to come back to at the end of the day and be safe.

The two had left you to get settled, and you couldn’t help that sharp pang in your chest.

The Razor Crest had become a… sort of home to you over the last few weeks. It’s softly lit corridors and spaces, things crammed in everywhere but all mostly organised… the little compartment that had been your – well, the Mandalorian’s, - bed. The cockpit, where you spent most of your days either bantering with Mando or sitting in comfortable silence.

The kitchen area… his hands on your skin..

The weight of him behind you..

You missed him. And if you were honest, it still stung. That all of that had occurred between you and he was just getting rid of you.

No, maybe that wasn’t the right phrase. And nothing had really happened between you. Just an outpouring of tension. Besides, he was so warm, maybe he had been running a fever.

Mando had said that it was the only way to keep you safe.

And you knew that you were also attracting attention onto him and Grogu.

It still didn’t stop it from hurting any less.

~~~~~~~~~

-----7 Days Left-----

The Mandalorian made it back to his ship in record time. He didn’t waste precious minutes explaining to Peli. Just stating he had to go, thank you for the repairs and the last few days.

Seven days. He just seven days to get back, grab you, and flee.

Easy. He could do that easily.

Right?

He gave her a handful of credits, promising to come back soon.

He probably came across as rude, but he just couldn’t afford to wait.

You would have been on Nevarro for a little over a week now. He’d been with Peli for a good few days, and the travelling here had cost him about a day and a bit.

You were probably settled.

Maybe even.. happy?

His instincts were always right, and they were telling him that this guy, Haran, the shadow of Hell, had meant every single word. That if he found you before Mando did, you would never return.

Even if that happened, the Mandalorian would tear apart the galaxy to find you. There wouldn’t be a corner of space that Haran could hide that Mando wouldn’t get to. He would kill anyone who stood in his way, anyone who stopped him from reaching you.

The force of his determination nearly took his breath away as he switched on the ship, the engines roaring to life

Moments later, he was leaving Tatooine.

“I’m coming for you.”

~~~~~~~~~

After that initial first week of settling in, you found that things improved a great deal.

You knew your way around almost 100%, and frequently took walks around the town.

Cara had reassured you that you wouldn’t have to hide here, but on busier days it would be best to keep your hood up.

Just in case.

Despite the threat of someone slipping through their watchful eyes, you relaxed.

You worked with Cara sometimes during the days, going along with her for her Marshal duties and keeping things in order.

Other days, you spent time with Greef. You found him to be sort of… like an uncle in attitude. He was reassuring, and you enjoyed spending time with the both of them.

You’d even begun to help out in the local school. Karga had suggested it one day, mentioning in passing how the teaching droids might benefit with a pair of extra eyes and hands.

After making a few helpful comments, you had somehow established yourself as a teacher of survival. Not in the sense of, ‘this is how to disarm a bounty hunter who is coming at you whilst you’re sleeping., but more in the vein of, “Here’s how to find fresh water and a place to sleep.”

The kids loved it, especially when you staged imaginary scenarios for them and had them running about the place or creeping through ‘the undergrowth’.

It felt good. To be using these skills you’d been forced to learn for something positive, something that the kids enjoyed.

~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~

-----5 Days Left-----

Of course he had to stop for fuel.

He had forgotten to ask Peli to fill it up before he left. Mainly because they couldn’t get out there when the sandstorm had hit, and then because he had left so quickly.

He wanted to punch himself.

Maybe he would. It might make him feel better.

The Mandalorian stopped at the next closest planet, barely having turned the engines off before he was climbing out of the cockpit and making his way through the ship, Grogu secured in his little bag.

He was halfway down the ramp when he looked over his shoulder, to check that you and Duru were behind him.

Only to stop short, because you were no longer with him. Remember?

He sighed, ignoring the wrench of his heart and he walked through the landing bay.

A quick search revealed a man in a fuel operatives’ uniform.

Relief flooded Mando’s senses, and he hurried over, “Excuse me, would you be able to fill my ship? I’m sorry but I’m really in a hurry.”

The man looked up, wiping his hands on his uniform and he came over to Mando. “The Crest that just landed? Sure, I can fill her up right away, sir.”

Moments later, he had hooked up the necessary pipes and the ship was being pumped full of fuel.

It didn’t stop him from pacing though, checking the time on the large display inside the landing bay.

He was full of frantic energy, and he should probably stop pacing because he was going to make Grogu sick.

The operative looked up, tilting his head a little, “Forgive me, sir, but you look awful jittery. Is something wrong?”

The Mandalorian spun on the spot, looking at the man suspiciously.

Was he working for Haran? Was this a distraction?

Maybe he shouldn’t have come here.

Grogu gurgled at his side, and he didn’t need to bother translating. He was being stupid; the kid was right.

Mando sighed, curling his hands into fists and then uncurling them to try and release some tension. “Have you ever heard of the Shadow of Death?”

The man cursed, dropping the tool he was holding. He looked around quickly, his colourful face going pale with fear, “Sir! I beg you, please do not speak that name. Even mentioning it can summon him here.”

The Mandalorian couldn’t hide the surprise form his voice, “You believe in him then?”

The worker nodded slowly, motioning Mando over. When he was close enough, the man said quietly, “I’ve seen his… work.”

A chill skittered over Mando’s bones, “You’ve seen… someone he’s killed?”

A green sheen had come over the operatives face, “Yes, sir. I’ve seen it firsthand and I still wake up screaming even today.”

The Mandalorian tilted his head, “Many people believe he’s a myth, thought up by the darkest of people to cover their tracks.”

“That creature is not a myth, sir. He came for my sister and her family. She ran, but he was waiting at the safe house for her.” The man’s eyes became hazy with memory. “I don’t know how he knew. She had told no one where she was going. Not even me. They had never uttered the location aloud, not even to each other. They wrote it down. Just in case he was in the walls, listening.” The man swallowed roughly once, twice.

“When we got there, there was nothing left to bury. Just clothes, a few strands of hair and blood coating the walls. It was like something from a nightmare. There were only a few… chunks left of them. They could never identify who was who.” He heaved a little, then turned grave eyes onto the Mandalorian.

“If you know someone he wants, you’d be best of killing them yourselves. It would be a lot kinder.”

~~~~~~~~~

-----2 Days Left-----

The Mandalorian was getting frantic.

And with his frantic haste, came messiness.

He didn’t know it was taking him so damn long to get to Nevarro. He should have been there three days ago. Hell, he should never have left you there.

There had been a nebula on the way out of the planet. It hadn’t come up on his radar until the last moment and he had to swerve to get around it, which cost him a detour he couldn’t afford. He couldn’t risk jumping into hyperspeed until he was clear either.

Though it had taken too long, he eventually cleared it.

He was close, so close. He’d been about to make the jump when two X-wing’s had come out of nowhere and started to chase him down. He’d tried to get them away, tried to shake them off but they’d forced him down into some icy planet.

He’d nearly crashed the ship, nearly lost Grogu because the little womp rat decided to climb out of his seat as Mando tried to land and then the engines had cut out because they got too cold.

And now he was cold. Fucking freezing in fact.

Tracking through the snow and the ice, looking for the two pilots to get rid of them so he could be back on his way to finding you.

With each movement of the sun, he became more and more painfully aware of how slow he was.

He was never this slow. Never this sloppy. He needed to calm down and clear his head, but the words of the fuel operative kept ringing in his head.

“That creature is not a myth, sir. He came for my sister and her family. She ran, but he was waiting at the safe house for her.

When we got there, there was nothing left to bury. Just clothes, a few strands of hair and blood coating the walls.

If you know someone he wants, you’d be best of killing them yourselves. It would be a lot kinder.”

He gritted his teeth as a shudder shook his body, and not from the cold.

You wouldn’t end up like that.

He’d find you. You would be fine.

Noise broke through his thoughts, the sounds of the pilots and he slipped behind a snowpile and sunk down to wait.

~~~~~~~~~

Okay. So maybe the last few days weren’t going as well as they could have been.

You were embarrassed to admit it, but at least two of them were spent drunk, and the third was spent in a state of hungover blurriness.

Pinpointing the exact trigger was hard.

It might have been the horrific nightmares that begun 4 days ago, or it might have been the conversation you had with Cara that day.

You’d been sitting in the cantina, just talking after a day of work and she had begun to ask about your past. Nothing invasive, nothing forcing you to answer but something in you had wanted to spill some of the burden.

She’d asked you where you learned your survival skills, and you thought about lying but… something stopped you. So, you’d told her. At least, as much as you could without revealing the real reason.

You told her about the murder of your parents. How the market had been attacked that day, and you could do nothing to stop them dying.

You told her how you’d run, spending two days hiding in a waste dump, crying and vomiting with fear and the horror of what you’d seen. How you’d dragged yourself out, and started your journey of planet hopping and hitching rides.

Cara had asked what you did to get people coming after you, and you simply told her they thought you’d been responsible for the market attack, and the murders of the friends you’d made because people always seemed to die around you.

You told her how it had forced you to not be able to trust anyone, to only be able to rely on yourself and how you had to learn to survive.

It hadn’t been easy. You had made yourself sick countless times, including one really bad week where you ate some questionable vegetables and spent four days in a hallucinating stupor, convinced you were dying.

She’d laughed at that and returned the favour by telling you about her shock trooper days. The fact they were dumped in on their own to hunt the warlords, being exposed to horrors that only you and few others could understand.

The pair of you had spent the evening sharing stories, dancing around the subject of a certain beskar-clad hunter and his child. You couldn’t go there, couldn’t talk about it.

She probably gathered all the information she needed from your lack of response though, by the look in her eye and the smirk when she mentioned him.

That night might have been the cause of the horrific nightmare where you were convinced you’d just watched the Mandalorian and Grogu be torn to shreds by your own power. You’d woken up screaming, tasting their blood like that night and barely made it to the small bathroom area before vomiting.

That was the last night you’d remembered before getting drunk.

You supposed you were ashamed of yourself.

You were giving in to feelings you’d spent years repressing.

You were wallowing.

You’re hurting. You’re allowed to let go of the pain sometimes, to feel it. You can’t keep going like the ice queen all the time.

How you hated that inner voice of reason.

~~~~~~~~~

-----1 Day left-----

His gloves were soaked with melted snow, sticking to his skin and freezing again instantly, no matter how many times he tried to warm them. It made his movements slow and fumbly as he desperately worked to fix the engine of his ship.

He’d tried to take off as soon as he’d gotten rid of the pilots, but as soon as he’d started the engines, they died with no more than a puff of smoke.

They were frozen.

Snow and ice had gotten into the rotors and they wouldn’t start long enough for him to heat them up.

He was stuck here.

Grogu was freezing.

Mando had left him inside the cockpit with the doors shut, bundled in all the blankets he could find in the ship. The heaters weren’t working, and the backup generator barely provided enough heat to stop the windows from icing over.

He made a frustrated noise as he dropped his tools, stooping down to scoop them out of the snow.

He had to get this working. He had to fix this and get to you.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, you rose, dressed and returned to work.

You apologised for your previous behaviour and threw yourself into your daily tasks with a determination that might have been bordering on insanity.

You were eager to wipe away the shame of the past few days, so you spent the day doing every single job you could find and more. Even going out into the town on your lunch break to help around the markets and local small stores.

It kept the thoughts at bay, the guilt and the shame, and also the relentless longing that plagued you.

~~~~~~~~~~

-----12 hours left-----

The sun had set long ago.

He was working by the small light on his helmet now.

It was barely enough to see in front of his face, but he couldn’t stop. Even though he couldn’t feel his feet, or his hands. Or any of his body, actually.

He couldn’t let you die.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was the end of the day.

You had just finished your work, helping Cara with maintaining things around town, dealing with the odd shady traveller that passed through looking for trouble.

She knew your skills, that you were ruthless, quick and knew your way around a blade well enough to scare someone off.

It was why you had started training with her a few days ago, before the drunken haze.

You’d showed up to her office after a night of screaming dreams, shattered, wound up and tense.

She’d taken one look at you, then taken you out the back to a big empty plot and begun to train with you. And it had worked. Sparring with someone and having to focus had helped you channel that anxious energy.

It was a regular occurrence now, which was why you were engaged in another session with her.

Greef had come to watch this afternoon, and sat on one of the huge, jagged hunks of rock that littered the volcanic planet.

It didn’t put you off, you were too focused as you ducked under Cara’s punch, twirling around her body and delivering a sharp kick to her kidneys that had her coughing. You couldn’t help the chuckle, lightly springing back a few steps as she spun to face you, “Oh come on, you practically invited me to kick you.”

Cara rolled her eyes, advancing toward you, “And you were foolish enough to take it.” She flew into another attack on you, which you matched punch for punch, like you knew the moves she was going to take without her saying.

You wondered if it had something to do with your power, some instinct from it. You still felt its presence more often than not lately, since that night it had helped you save the Mandalorian. You’d tried to push it back, but it was calling to you more and more recently.

Shaking the thoughts free of your head, you focused back on fighting, pouring everything into it and letting go of all that nervous energy.

You practically floated across the ashy ground, moving around her like you were breathing.

It wasn’t quite the choreographed, effortless fighting you and Mando had engaged in, but it was still something.

Dimly, you heard Greef laugh, clapping. “I never quite knew what Mando meant when he told us you fought like you were dancing, but I completely understand now.”

You froze, just managing to lift a hand and block Cara’s swing to your face, “What? He said that?” You looked over your shoulder, eyebrows raised in shock.

Karga nodded quickly, “Oh, yes! When he was telling us about the first time you met, and when you saved his life. He said he’d met more fighters in his life than he could remember, but you stood out most of all. ‘She fights like she’s dancing. Like she’s moving to a song of death only she can hear. It was mesmerising’ That’s what he told us.”

Mesmerising.

He’d really said that about you? Complimented you like that to his friends when you weren’t around?

It made your heart constrict and a sort of warm feeling spread through your veins.

Unfortunately, it also made you distracted.

Which gave Cara the opportunity to slam her knee into your back and knock you to the ground. “Stop getting doe-eyed over the Mandalorian and focus.” She was laughing, standing over you.

Your cheeks flushed slightly but you snarled, flipping on your back and pulling out her ankles. “I don’t get doe-eyed.”

~~~~~~~~~~

-----2 hours left---

The Mandalorian had never been this cold.

He was still outside, and a snowstorm had begun now.

His poor visibility was even worse, and it seemed to take him twice as long to do anything.

It was like the commands he sent from his brain to his hands were slogging through the thick snow.

His armour had long since frozen over, and every time he moved, ice cracked and fell from the crevice’s.

He didn’t know how long he could do this for.

He didn’t know if Grogu was still alive.

He didn’t know if you were still alive.

Haran may have gone back on his words and come after you anyway. You might have been dead for days already.

No.

No, he couldn’t let himself think that.

He had to keep going. He had to…

He had to rest…

He was cold. So very cold that he almost felt warm.

A mournful cry of wind shot through him, sucking the little energy from his body in a sub-zero blast and his knees gave out, dumping him in the snow.

Get up.

He couldn’t.

~~~~~~~~

“Good fighting today. You were a lot more focused. Well, mostly.” Cara leaned against the doorway to your building, crossing her arms and grinning again.

You rolled your eyes, “Thanks so much. The bruise I have on my back will forever remind me of your compliments.”

She laughed, raising an eyebrow, “And the pain in my kidney’s will remind of yours.” She tilted her head, watching you, “Why did it throw you so much?”

You pretended not to know what she was talking about, “Me kicking you in the kidneys?”

Cara gave you a deadpan look, knowing what you were doing, “No. What Greef said about Mando. You looked shocked.”

You swallowed, looking down and pretending to examine your boots and you pulled out an easy shrug, “I just didn’t expect a compliment like that from him. The first time we fought, we were both trying to kill each other, and the second time he saw me, he was half-unconscious. I didn’t think he remembered.”

Whether she saw through your lie or not, she thankfully didn’t press it. “Well… He can shock you sometimes, trust me.” She stood up straight, pushing away from the wall “I’ll see you later for dinner?”

Relief flooded through you and you nodded, able to meet her gaze now, “Sure, dinner sounds great. I’ll come by after a drink.”

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~

-----0 Hours Left-----

He was too late.

~~~~~~~~~

You were still thinking about what Greef said as you made your way into the cantina, Duru asleep back in your room.

It had become a popular haunt for you whilst being here. You wondered if you might be starting to have a problem.

But the chatter of the different people and creatures provided an ambiance that kept the wandering thoughts at bay.

When you were alone and still, you had a habit of straying to the Mandalorian and Grogu.

His last words kept echoing in your head, that you might see each other soon.

When, Lori? Soon isn’t close enough.

You sighed to yourself as you slid onto a seat at the bar. You seriously needed to have an intervention with yourself. You didn’t pine like this. You didn’t get soft and sentimental.

You couldn’t afford to, not the way you lived.

But we aren’t on the run anymore. At least not like we used to be…

You ignored that voice in your head, the one that threatened to speak sense. Luckily, the droid that was serving as the bartender came over, placing your usual drink in front of you.

You nodded in thanks, pulling it toward you. Maybe it wasn’t such a good thing that the droid knew your drink without asking.

Then again… it was a droid. It was probably built into its hardware. It didn’t mean that you were an alcoholic. Although, your drunken stupor went against that argument.

You brushed your hand over the bar in front of you, getting rid of the layer of volcanic ash that settled over everything. Every night you found it in your hair, under your clothes and even in your boots. It didn’t bother you much though. Over the years, you’d become used to it, being covered in dirt or grime.

Except when you were on the Crest.

You shook your head slightly at yourself. You weren’t going to go there.

You could do what you wanted to on the Crest. You didn’t have to be covered in dirt or ash or mud. You were clean. Rested. Warm.

Do not go there.

You had company. Friends, even.

You blew out a breath, taking a big gulp of your drink. It didn’t matter now anyway. You were here. You didn’t know how long you were to stay for, but this was your new… home.

But it doesn’t feel like home. It’s not cosy. It doesn’t smell the same. You can’t hear the sounds of the engine, or Grogu or Mando.

Maker, you had to find a way to shut that voice up. Maybe you’d knocked something lose back when you fought the guy with a tail. Things hadn’t been right in your head since then.

Since you saved the Mandalorian’s life?

“Shut up!!” You didn’t realise you’d hissed the words out loud until a nearby trader gave you a funny look.

Brilliant, now you looked drunk or possibly crazy.

You dropped your head into your hands, rubbing your eyes. You needed to get over yourself.

And the Mandalorian.

When you lifted your glass back to your lips, you noticed that your drink was already done.

Whoops. Definitely looking more drunk than crazy now.

You looked up, raising your hand for another drink regardless and when the droid placed it in front of you, you slid over the required credits.

Only for it to push them back, “Your drinks have already been paid for, miss.”

You blinked in confusion at its monotone voice, “By who? I asked Cara and Greef not to touch my tab.” You had wanted to pay for it yourself. They refused to take any money in payment for you room, so you had managed to negotiate any expenses you racked up elsewhere – such as here.

The droid looked at you with its expressionless robotic face, “They were not paid for by Marshal Dune or Greef Karga. Please, take the credits.”

You reached out, slowly dragging them back and putting them back inside the inside pocket of your cloak, “Who paid for it then?” You couldn’t help the insistent tone to your voice, even if it would be lost on the droid.

Before it could answer, your question was answered.

“I did.”

The voice that came from behind you was silken, rising over the din background noise of the cantina. It caressed over your bones, those two simple words dripping like honey. Something tugged inside of you, pulled at that buried kernel of power.

You turned on your stool, looking for the owner of such a magnetic voice.

There, behind you, sat a figure.

Decked in an expensive looking cloak lined with golden thread, lounging back in his seat like he didn’t have a care in the world. You could see the edge of a hilt peeping above broad shoulders, something drawing you to look at it but you couldn’t see it properly.

You blinked again, raising an eyebrow, “Sorry?”

The figure leant forward, “I paid for your drinks.” He lifted a pair of gloved hands and pushed back his hood.

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