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lilyblyss · 3 years

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I've been sitting on this one for a couple of days now, but I finally got around to writing it cause the gc went crazy with the Nanami smut one day, so thanks girlies 💙

Word Count: 2.6k

Warning/Tags: 18+, Fem reader, she/her pronouns, phone sex, pet names (sweetheart, beloved, love, baby)

When you started your relationship with salaryman Nanami Kento, you already figured you’d be sharing him with his job. It made sense, meeting the always-rushing man in the bakery you worked at and slowly forming a connection after weeks of just observing him tiredly getting a snack and watching his clock, almost as if he was running out of time. You thought that once you two started dating, you would always come second to his work, and you even told him that when you asked him out. When he gave you a troubled look after you said it, you thought it was because he thought you would be upset with it, but you insisted you would be alright with the arrangement. As long as you had him, you would be fine.

So, imagine your pleasant surprise during the last six months of dating when Nanami pampered you regardless of what work he had to do. Even when he’d quit his salaryman job and gone back to work as a Jujutsu warrior, he still made sure you were properly taken care of despite always coming back to you tired and slightly frustrated by his senior.

However, you still haven’t gotten into the mindset that whatever you asked Nanami of, he’d do it for you. You tried not to ask too much of him, it was your way of trying to be considerate of him, knowing that as much as he hated shitty work, it was important work that needed to be done. You didn't want to come off as clingy.

He was currently away on a business trip; something about some fake resurrection scam that needed to be taken care of. He promised he wouldn't be away long, just a couple of days, a week at the most, so you sent him off with a kiss and a soft "Be careful". That was two days ago, and already you missed him.

It had started innocently enough. A simple "Wow, I miss my boyfriend" when you walked into the shared apartment, noticing his lack of presence. It escalated slightly when you changed out of your work clothes and you grabbed his sweatpants and a tank top, almost wrestling with the pants to make them fit around your waist. It escalated a lot while you were making yourself dinner, and your mind drifted to just before he left with you bent over the kitchen counter as he fucked you until he was satisfied.

Your fingers never made their way to your heat quicker at the thought of his touch. Coming quickly, you'd hoped that it would quail the feeling of arousal long enough to get through until the day when he’d hopefully return. Even though the release was lackluster, you’d still made a mess of yourself, and gotten in the shower. That’s how you got here, laying on his side of the bed, wearing one of his button-ups drowned in his cologne, frustrated to high heavens after two orgasms. You had hoped that being surrounded by his scent would help satisfy you, but all it did was make your pussy clench harder, missing the stretch of his dick, seemingly punishing you for even thinking of being satisfied without him.

You lay on your back in bed, fingers trying to build you to orgasm number three, mentally mapping out the possible location of the dildo you owned before dating Nanami when your phone rang. Once you pick it up, you notice the slew of text messages and one missed call from Nanami himself, and you panic. What’s he gonna say if he finds out you’ve missed any form of communication with him because you were masturbating to the thought of him after only two days?

Kicking yourself up into a sitting position, you tuck your pillow between your legs. It's a useless endeavor considering he wasn't even here to catch you.

You clear your voice before answering with a shy, “Hello?”

He sighs on the other end, “Y/N,” he says breathly, “You didn’t answer any of my texts, I was starting to worry.”

“Sorry, I was… busy?”

“...Is that a question for me?”

“No! I mean, I am busy. Wait, no. Actually, I was, but I’m not anymore. What’s up?”

“If you’re busy, I can always call back--”

“No! Don’t! Tell me about your day.”

He’s quiet for a moment but does as you say. He tells you about his completed mission, of how his senior did nothing even though he tagged along, and how he was on the verge of collapse when he made it back to his hotel room. You try to listen but the sound of his voice in your ear, the low tone in his voice reminds you of all the praise he showers you with as you fall apart underneath him, fills your head with the thought of release. You press your hand against your mouth, hoping it covers the heavy breathing and soft moans passing your lips. You rock your hips, shivering as your clit rubbed against the pillow.

"Y/N?" You hum in response, and you can tell from the small beat of silence that he's taken aback. "I asked you if you wanted a souvenir?"

"Um, yeah. W-whatever you want."

"... Y/N. Is something wrong?" His voice is worried yet stern, it leaves no room for argument and demands an honest answer. You let out a small whimper.

Clinginess be damned.

"I miss you." You let out, leaning forward and burying your face in his pillow to inhale his scent, on your knees with the pillow between them. You start to hump against the pillow in earnest. "God, Nanami, I miss you so much."

"What are you doing?"

Broken moans muffled by the pillow as your hips move faster, "T-touching myself."

"And what were you thinking about? Me?" He sounds a touch too pleased at the notion.

You huff, "As if you need to ask."

"I want to hear you say it. So I'll ask again, what were you thinking about when you got desperate enough to touch yourself without me?"

You shiver. You know Nanami said that he’d completed his mission, and it was late in the night, but he was on a business trip and technically was still on-call. Even if he hated overtime, a sorcerer’s work was never done. Would he really disregard that to listen to you touch yourself knowing you were too far away to get to? Would he be willing to risk the same sexual frustration as you?

“I don’t have all night, sweetheart.”

He would.

Shaking from a combination of nerves and arousal, you quickly gasp out, “You. Of course, I was thinking of you. Your hands on me, how good you feel inside me. Just you. Always you, Kento.”

He chokes at the neediness in your voice. He lets out a shaky curse as you softly moan into the phone. "You sound so wrecked already, I haven't even done anything."

"I've been… I was taking care of it. Wasn't working."

You can hear him chuckle through the phone, and even though he hasn't said anything about the connotations of your words, you can’t help but feel a little shy. “Have I really gone and ruined you from your own fingers? I’m so sorry, beloved.”

You huff, "You don’t sound very sorry.”

“Hm, but I am. If I were there with you right now, I’d shower you with kisses to prove it.” He groans and you hear his clothes shuffling slightly like he's trying to get comfortable.

“Are you touching yourself?” You dare to ask.

“I am. Knowing you’re at home alone desperate for me has more of an effect on me than you think. Are you trying to seduce me, Y/N?”

You whine, “I wasn’t.”

He let out a chuckle before his voice lowers. "What are you wearing?"

Your fingers drift across your collarbone, ghosting the skin like he would, before unbuttoning his shirt, cupping your breasts. "Your button-up."

“All the way?”

“No, I’m…” you trail off, giving your breasts a squeeze, massaging the mounts with your palms, and pinching your nipples. “It’s open so I touch my boobs like you would.”

He sighed, “I miss your soft breast. Are you imagining me caressing you?”

“Yes.”

"What else are you wearing?"

"Nothing else."

He hummed, "I see, my baby really misses me then. Say it again."

Your hips move faster at his domineering voice. "I miss you. I miss you so much, Kento."

"And I, you. I miss that pretty mouth of yours. You look so pretty with your mouth on top of me."

"Would you kiss me?"

"I'd do a lot more to you if I were there."

You swallow, one hand leaving your breast to put the phone on speaker and laying it against the pillow. You should have done that in the beginning, but Nanami surprised you with this whole thing despite you initiating it. You shuffle to lay on your back, hand slowly moving down to your clit, "Would you touch me?"

"When you're looking as delicious as you do now? How could I possibly resist?" The smirk in his voice is so prominent, you can imagine him leaning over you, caging you between his strong arms as he slowly ran his fingers over you. Imagining his hands as yours adds an extra something to your own touch that wasn’t there before. "My hands wouldn't leave your skin until I claimed every part of it as my own. And please, try not to squirm too much, dear, you'll make me antsy."

A breathy chuckle passes your lips, "How could you expect me to hold still when you're making me feel so good? You'll have to tie me up if that's the case."

"Don't tempt me. You know I love having you wrapped around my fingers. I'd make sure you were nice and pliant for me. But I guess you're doing a good enough job of that on your own."

"It's not the same." Your legs press together to keep your hand in place, and you miss the presence of Nanami's hips between yours. "Feels better when you touch me."

“I know what you mean,” he cuts himself off with a groan, “My hand just isn't doing you any justice. It just doesn’t compare.”

You hum, “Sorry babe, would it help if I used my mouth instead?” You bite your bottom lip in excitement, pleased with the gruff moan he lets out. From the way his breaths were picking up, you knew he had gotten into the rhythm as well. The thought of him all alone in his fancy little hotel room, hand wrapped around his cock to the thought of you sent a spark of arousal straight to your clit, and you pressed one of your fingers inside you.

“You’d like that, right? I’d let you be as rough as you want, too. Could fuck my throat if you so choose. I know you don’t like to waste time, though. Would you just like to thrust into my pussy instead?”

The sound of his heavy breathing is accompanied by the soft slick of his hand stroking himself. "Shit, what a filthy mouth you have all of a sudden. What happened to my shy, babbling baby that always cried to come?"

"You were here to fuck me into that," you gasp out, back arching as you curled your finger to try to press against that bundle of nerves that shot lightening up your spine. You whined, not pressing against it properly. "You were really good about that."

"I still am." He insists, and if you weren't currently trying to hold it together long enough for you two to finish together, you would have laughed. How defensive he could be about pleasing you. "You've gotten cheeky the last two days. Have you forgotten already who's in charge? Don't think I'm above fucking you stupid, love. I've done it before, or don't you remember?"

How could you forget? Hours of coming against Nanami's tongue, his hands dancing against your oversensitive skin as if he wanted to memorize the feeling of you on his palms before folding you in half and thrusting into your overstimulated cunt. He insisted, despite your mindless whines of 'Enough', that you were able to take it. That you could come around his cock as many times as he wanted. And because he loved proving himself right, you did.

You whimper, "You're bringing that up now?"

"Just wanted to remind you of what I'm capable of. And how cute you were, losing your voice from screaming my name. The sounds you make are so alluring, my love. We should do that again, yeah? Say my name, pretty girl."

You shiver at the praise, your palm pressing against your clit as you thrust against your hand. "Kento."

"Again, louder." And you do, saying it louder and louder each time. You push another one of your fingers into yourself, sobbing at the stretch.

"Hn, good girl. You're so good for me, aren’t you?"

Your body sings at the praise he gives you, just that was enough to send you over the edge, but you try to keep it together.

“Yes! Yes, I am.”

It was proving to be a little difficult. You were still riding the high of the last orgasm before he called, so you weren't too far from finishing, but Nanami had only just started. You didn't want to leave him behind.

The moan you let out was just a hair above pitiful as you remove your palm from your clit, slowing the movement of your hand.

"Don't you dare slow down now?" He growls.

You could barely think, your mind almost flooded with buzz as your body stiffened almost painfully. "But I might—I don’t wanna come without you--"

"I want you to. I want you to come for me. Come around your fingers for me."

"Kento, I want you."

"And you have me. Especially when I get back tomorrow."

The promise of finally being able to have him back in your arms, inside you, is what sent you over the edge. With a loud outcry of his name, you came around your fingers, pushing them in as your walls pulsed like Nanami would. Your back arched off the bed, jostling the phone from its position, but Nanami’s voice was still rough and loud as he praised you through it. He groans your name, voice coated in lust and adoration before he lets out a muffled shout. The call dulls to silence, only the sound of both your heavy breaths echoes off the walls.

"For an impromptu session, I think that was pretty brilliant, don't you think?"

"Um…? Hmm… yeah."

He chuckles, "Are you tired, baby?

"Yes," you yawn. Your limbs lazily move to get into a more comfortable position. You curl on your side. "But I miss you."

The huff of air passing his lips let you know he was smiling. "I miss you too, Y/N."

Your voice slurs with sleepiness, "I miss your cock too."

"Y/N, I just came. I can't be getting hard when you're about to pass out."

"Think of it as motivation. For when you come back to me."

"I won't be nice if I'm sexually frustrated, Y/N."

"Counting on it."

“I hope you’re ready to put your money where your mouth is.”

“Is my money in your pants?”

“Ha ha,” he laughs dryly, “I hope you know I have a couple of days off once I get back."

"Uh oh, I guess I'm calling off work the next day."

"It's not required, but well-advised. Good some rest, you're going to need."

#nanami kento #jjk #nanami kento smut #nanami supremacy #jujutsu kaisen smut #jjk smut #nanami kento x reader #nanami x reader

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damn-stark · 3 years

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Harmless Endeavors

Chapter 4 of Different Light

A/N- I always have so much fun writing these chapters and I especially can’t wait for the next one! Let me know what you thought?! I hope you guys liked the chapter :)

Warning-slight angst, SLOWBURN, typical teenage awkwardness and just a disaster trio starting their new hobby.

Pairing- Harry Potter x Malfoy!reader, Fred Weasley x Malfoy!reader

Takes place during; The Goblet of Fire

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

————

“Alright Malfoy we have a question for you.” George began to probe while he stood beside you.

“Okay,” you muse skeptically, poking your head over the brick barriers between the hall's arches, whilst you gripped onto your wand. “Shoot.”

Fred snickers on your other side and asks their obvious curious question. “Where is Durmstrang exactly?”

“Well, obviously it’s…” you pause and blink as you somehow come out blank. “Well...I,” you gasp as your mind is still unable to recall any sort of direction at all. Everything just comes out blank. “I don’t recall exactly. That’s,” you mumble, “odd.”

Fred and George snicker and give one another a high five behind you after hearing your useless given answer. Finding your bafflement somehow amusing. Because of course they did.

“I told you, Freddie.” George said proudly, “no present, nor past student knows where Durmstrang is.”

“Most likely some type of memory charm,” Fred chimes in with the equal amount of pride as George. “Or maybe just too much dark magic messes with their heads.”

You slowly turn your head to face him and shoot him a pointed glare, causing him to just shrug nonchalantly and smirk. Wanting to remark on your glare, but not doing so as you pulled them both down when you heard the footsteps of your first victims approaching the hall. “Ready?” you whisper as you raise your wand to point it at the hidden floating bucket.

“Ready.” Fred repeated, lifting his wand to point at another bucket, whilst George also did the same, but faltered as he spotted the problem.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Malfoy? It’s your brother coming down the hall.”

Without any sign of hesitation you nod almost enthusiastically, “oh, I’m sure.”

“Okay then,” Fred continued smugly as he poked his head out to get a better view at the passing group which involved Draco, Crabbe and the tiny and snobby Pansy, “in 3,2,1.”

Without a second to spare George cast the flipendo jinx that knocked down a bucket filled with ink so it could drop over the group, while Fred makes a bucket pop out of the floor as fake bricks open like a small door, leaving you to knock down and drop the one behind them. Soaking them from head to toe in ink that made Pansy squeal and the two boys shriek out like little girls.

The whole scene overall making the three of you instantly drop and hide between bushes. Trying with all your might not to reveal yourselves with the laugh that threatened to spill out. Having to distract yourselves with listening to the group whine and grow upset. Draco most of all.

“Come out and show your face! Don’t be a coward!”

You bite your lip to keep yourself from bursting out, not daring to even move a muscle in order to keep yourself hidden.

“Just you wait! You will all get expelled!” Draco bellowed, before he and his group were heard storming down the hall, each second their footsteps echoing further and further away until they were just no more. Finally letting all of you burst out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter that made it hard to breathe. Causing you to gasp for air as you completely slumped to the dirt ground.

“I wish I could’ve…” Fred wheezed, “seen their faces!”

“I-it must’ve been spectacular!” George added excitedly. “Just you wait!” He then mocked, making you laugh much harder, feeling your sides hurt but unable to stop.

“Ah,” you gasped, “that-that was fantastic!”

“You knew didn’t you!” Fred jabbed, “you knew your brother was going to come down that hall. You had it all planned?!”

Once you are able to be somewhat contained, you shrug innocently. “It was just an innocent prank on a couple of passing kids.”

“Sure it was,” George chuckles, “you sneaky little genius.”

You grin smugly and flip your wand in your hand before placing it back inside your robe.

“Well you shouldn't have to hide it, you know we would’ve been down to prank your brother.” Fred adds, “with only your permission of course.”

“Of course,” you mock. “Anyway,” you shrug, “he deserved it, he was an arse.”

George scoffs, “isn’t he always.”

Your smile falters at George’s comment, but it’s just that and nothing else. You don’t let it or want it to affect you because it’s true, even if it feels weird hearing others bad mouth your brother.

Regardless you shrug it off and yet are unable to express anything else after you managed to calm down since down the hall, where Draco and his friends had left, quick multiple footsteps were heard approaching. Causing Fred to grab your hand to pull you with him as he jumped to his feet, meanwhile you grabbed onto George’s hand to pull him. Not daring to wait to see who it could be in case it was Draco coming back to search and snitch with an army of professors.

“Come on,” Fred urged as he tugged your hand and you tugged George’s to break into a sprint down the courtyard. “Let’s go!”

Again the three of you fell into a fit of laughter when you looked over your shoulders and saw Draco had returned, fuming to hopelessly search for the guilty party he was never going to find.

——

It so happened that waiting and searching for Dobby was much harder to find than accidentally bumping into him. And it’s not like you could just say his name and he’ll appear out of thin air anymore, he wasn’t your family’s house elf. So you were forced to pace out the kitchen to wait in the knowledge that he should have gotten the letter by now, there shouldn’t be a reason for him to take so long.

Athena, yours and Draco’s Eagle-Owl was a fast flyer, she wouldn’t have taken that long to deliver the letter after Draco passed it to her. In fact she should be back with a small package or more letters.

Unless...Dobby got caught. No...he couldn’t. The outcomes of that possibility would be out of your control and it would’ve been news you would’ve heard by now. He couldn’t have been caught.

Suddenly your name is uttered loudly down the hall. Followed by small quick footsteps speeding towards you—when you turn around you see Dobby’s little body coming towards you with an envelope half his hands size in his hold, whilst a big beaming smile decorated his features. “I’ve got it! I’ve got what miss Malfoy asked!”

A weight lifts from your shoulders at the sight of the little elf more than at the sight of the letter he carried. You sigh with relief and look down to the elf with a small smile. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Dobby is very honored, miss Malfoy trusted Dobby with such a task.” The little elf squeals cheekily, “Dobby snatched the letter from the Manor and guarded it with his life for you, miss. And he never got caught!”

“That’s good. I’m so proud of you Dobby.” You beam, making the little elfs smile falter.

But not because he was upset, but because of the emotions he began to feel at your comment. “Miss Malfoy is proud of Dobby? Oh, Dobby is so happy! Here.” He hands you the letter as his eyes gleam with welled up tears. Letting you hand him a small wrapped package that had his name on it. Making the elf get even more emotional as he opened it to find a knitted sweater and a couple of Galleons. “Thank you! Thank you.”

“Thank you, Dobby, you’ve saved my life.” You assure him, glancing at the end of the hall to see more house elfs come out of the kitchen as breakfast was going to be served, “thank you. And I hope that if Draco keeps doing this that I can count on you to do the same? If that’s no trouble?”

“It’s never trouble. Dobby is honored to help.”

“Good,” you nod with a grin before you’re moving past him, “thank you again and I’ll see you again soon!” You wave at Dobby and he waves back. The sight of his little figure is gone as you leave the kitchens and head towards the great hall to join your only two friends for breakfast. Catching them on their usual table with a gap left between them for you to sit, both at the same time catching a glimpse of you before waving you over.

“Where have you been?” George asks while you take your seat.

You shrug and hide your smirk, “busy.”

“Causing trouble so early in the morning, Malfoy?” Fred probes.

You chuckle and serve yourself breakfast, only shaking your head as a non-helpful response to his questioning. Choosing to leave it at that and say nothing else on the regard—knowing if you did let them in to your secret plan, someone around could hear and tell. Destroying your whole plan and leaving you in hot water.

So as for now it would be well not to tell and just leave them in the dark.

All you could do, now, at the moment was enjoy breakfast. You could worry about focusing on rewriting the letter and sending some of your own later.

“....Mom sent me a dress.”

Fred giggles beside you and pulls both yours and George’s attention to focus on his youngest brother.

“Well it does match your eyes,” you hear Harry tease, making you grin and forget the breakfast you were so intent on eating moments ago to focus on the trio causing an amusing scene; “is there a bonnet?” Harry reaches to pull the exact item of clothing from the box, “aha!” Harry grins cheekily, making Ron roll his eyes and dismiss his friend's comment.

“Nose down Harry,” Ron takes the odd, ghastly looking robe to his sister. “Ginny these must be for you.”

From the side of the table you’re sat on, you couldn’t see the youngest Weasleys exact facial reaction, but by the obvious disgust in her tone you could tell it was just as her voice was heard. “I’m not wearing that, it's ghastly.”

You giggle along with the rest of the students, noticing Ron’s unfocused gaze as he walks back after he hears Hermione giggling. “What are you on about?”

Hermione giggles, “they’re not for Ginny. They’re for you.”

The twins as well as you and the group of students paying attention to the interaction burst into a louder teasing laugh, continuing on as the explanation continued—“dress robes!”

“Dress robes?!” Ron snaps back as his eyebrows knit together and his nose scrunches up, “for what?!”

You chuckle and add a long time knowing answer to his question, “the Yule ball of course!”

——

“The Yule ball is approaching—a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests.” Snape announces to the house of Slytherins in such an unbothered and monotone way, “the ball will only be open for fourth years and above. Of course you may invite a younger student only if you may want to.”

Of course you knew like the many times before, what was to come for this school year, but that still didn’t excuse your gut wrenching nerves that knotted your stomach at the thought of such an important event. The main reason being who would ask you, or really if anyone would?

Of course you could ask someone; and you could see some people already looking at you as Professor Snape announced the event, but you didn’t really wish to go with any. Not to be cruel really, but the reason being, was that you didn’t really wish to actually go with anyone from Slytherin house. Not only because you didn’t know a soul personally but well...it was just that. You wanted to go with someone you did know—which wasn’t a lot of students, but you still hoped really.

“Dress robes will be worn,” Professor Snape continued stiffly, “and the ball will start at eight o’clock on Christmas Day. No later. It will finish at Midnight, so please no late arrivals. And of course.” Professor Snape cleared his throat as he looked to the crowd of older Slytherins, “I will expect Slytherin to behave and not act like wild animals. If I catch anyone out of hand I will take points. So act decent if you want to win the house cup at the end of the year. Okay? Everyone up and to the center of the room!”

——

“...I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying your school year at Hogwarts. However I’m saddened by the fact that I won’t get to spend Christmas with Draco and you this year, it’ll be odd having the house so alone in such a wonderful Holiday, but I know you two will be up to far more exciting things with the Yule Ball approaching. I can't wait to hear all about it and who you’ll go with, so please as soon as someone asks you, write to me! I’ll be waiting with so much anticipation. I miss you and I hope we see one another soon.

Love, Narcissa

Of course in that small detail of the letter where Narcissa says to write her as soon as someones asked you, she left out that part that it couldn’t be just anyone—No mud-bloods, nor blood traitors. Especially no, Mud-bloods! That’s key. Your father would most likely come to the school and grab you by the ear to take you back home.

Perhaps it was good that no one has asked you. Saved you a bunch of unnecessary problems.

Like you would care regardless.

“Are you done with the letter yet?” You question Draco as you walk behind him on the chair to hit the top of his head with the couple of envelopes in your hand.

He winced like the dramatic boy he was and threw his arm back to hand you the wanted item, adding as always a comment. “But don’t read it! I’ll know if you do.”

You snicker and walk back towards the door, “why? Got some special news to tell mummy that you don’t want me to know about?” You smirk, “like how you got supposedly bathed in ink?” You do air quotes with your fingers and try to surpass the fit of laughter that threatened to burst out.

Draco snapped his body to face you so quickly that you’d thought it’d just crack in half. “It’s true! You just didn’t see it because it was invisible ink to everyone else!”

You offer a narrowed gaze and a mischievous smirk he didn’t understand the meaning of—or else he would’ve turned crimson. “Okay,” you shrug casually, “invisible ink? Whatever you say.”

Draco’s face scrunches up and he throws you a pillow that luckily doesn’t hit you as you shut the door in time. Albeit you don’t fail to laugh. Receiving odd looks from passing students was the only thing that made you hold your laughter and bite your tongue from going hysterical.

If only Draco knew. If only he knew.

“Y/N!”

Suddenly your attention perks up as you hear your name called out behind you. When you turn you see only one Weasley twin; which going by the hair and how it kind of swooped at the tips, it was Fred.

You smile and stop so he could catch up, “hello, Fred. Long time no see.”

He laughs softly and runs his fingers through his hair, stealing glances at you as he begins to walk with you. “So what do you think about the Yule ball? Get asked yet?”

You shake your head and purse your lips, “nope not yet, but I do see some boys following me at times throughout the day and stare at me as if I’m some shiny toy.”

Fred puts his hands in his pockets and grins, “maybe they’re scared of you.”

You chuckle and spin to face him, walking back as he walked forward to joke along. “Is it my hair? Or do you think they know we're trouble? Or is it my family name?” You giggle, “maybe I’m just too funny for them, hmm? My jokes are too grande for them.”

“Ahh,” Fred teases with a goofy grin, “that’s it. They just don’t understand those hysterical jokes and the mindless pranks you hide in their morning pumpkin juice.”

You snort and playfully hit his chest before you fall back at his side, wanting to add something but cut off as Fred continued.

“Well now that we’re on that topic of dates, I wanted to ask if you’d go with me?”

Suddenly your stomach drops and your heart goes wild like a kid on a sugar high. Your smile drops but it picks up again, going in that nervous routine for a couple of seconds until you stop and make Fred stop to fully face you.

“You want to go with me?” That was a stupid question, but it just came out. Why didn’t you ever think of the twins?

Maybe because you thought they wouldn’t ask. Especially not Fred since you’d see him talk to his friend Angelina at times before George and him would join your side. You’d thought he’d ask her instead.

Guess you stand strongly uncorrected.

Fred chortles, “of course that’s why I asked.”

“Oh,” you feel your cheeks burn and your wrist begins to ache as the habit to nervously rub it annoyingly ticks at your brain. “Well, yeah I’d love it to.”

Fred’s grin widens and goes somewhere between cocky and flustered, but he hides it well with a cool nod. “Alright then can’t wait, I’ll see you later.” He begins to walk back as you do too, continuing to your previous path.

A shy smile grows on your lips and you wave at him like a dork, not seeming to keep your eyes off each other until you both turn to your destined halls. Causing your overly giddy grin to last until you reached the top of the Owlery. Dropping your smile to a small faint one as you offered it to a girl in your same year, Cho Chang as she passed by you on the snow covered stairs.

Moments after, your mind hardly paid attention to what was going on around you as you focused on the ice and snow.

Because of that causing your body to almost collide into Harry.

“Oh, Harry, I’m sorry.” You excuse yourself as your smile falls and your cheeks tingle with a threatening warmth. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

Said boy giggles nervously and sways from side to side like an awkward dance as you both try to go past each other.

It’s not until you grab his shoulders to turn him to where he was headed does the funny interaction stop, and you’re left standing awkwardly for a few moments until he waves goodbye, followed by a soft departing word too. Letting you think that was it, but standing strongly uncorrected again.

“Y/N!”

You turn back on your heels and your eyebrows lift as you answer back, “yeah?”

“Uhmm,” he swallows thickly, “Wangoballwime?”

Your eyebrows knit together like your stomach does, but both for entirely different reasons. “Huh? Sorry I didn’t quite get that.”

Harry shoves his hands in his pockets and his eyes bounce all around your face, an obvious rosy tint growing on his cheeks and neck—for cold reasons or different you couldn’t quite understand. “Uhm, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to go to the ball with me?” He spoke slowly and clearly this time, causing your eyes to widen and your face to burn.

You could your heart rush again, or maybe this time much quicker, but it did. It was going to just burst out. While also this time you couldn’t help but nervously rub your wrist. Forcing yourself to answer with the disappointing truth—for him anyway. “Oh, uhm, Harry I’m sorry, but someone’s already asked me.” You reveal with a hurt look, “and I said I’d go, sorry.”

Harry rips his hands out of his pockets and nods whilst he answers in the most assuring way possible. “Okay, yeah, great no problem. Okay, good.”

You offer him an apologetic smile and watch him walk back until you call to him, “Harry.”

At the call he runs back and waits.

“I really am,” you assure him shyly, “sorry.”

“Well that’s okay.” Harry reassures you, saying nothing to let your gazes linger until he bursted out with a question. “Who’re you going with?”

“Fred,” you smile sweetly, “Fred Weasley.”

Tagged- @peter-laufeyson , @swiftlymoniquesblog , @spideyyypeter , @gsvshsjsbs @accio-prozac , @cherriesanwine @kokomaesadie , @april-14-blog, @prettypinkpeachh

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favefandomimagines · 4 years

Text

Soul Surfer 7

AN: here we go!! chapter 7 for you beautiful people!

ALSO: you can now add yourself to the tag list!! if it’ll let me tag more people! tumblr is being difficult!

Violet saw it as a miracle that her mother decided to stay in some fancy hotel on Figure 8. She chalked it up to her mother having more money since she never had to pay child support. She couldn’t handle both JJ and her mom at the same time.

“Why is she still here? Isn’t it, I don’t know, illegal or something?” Violet said to her brother. “I don’t know, Vi. Why don’t you call up a lawyer and ask?” Nick sassed.

Violet shot Nick a glare as their father walked in, the conversation coming to an end. Rob looked at his children with a strange look, the two acting a bit suspicious.

“So dad, how many orders do we have today?” Violet asked. “Way more than I’d like, which is why I recruited some help.” Rob answered. “Who?” Violet asked. “JJ.” The man answered.

Nick attempted to stifle a laugh as he nearly choked on the orange juice he was drinking. “Dad, why?” Violet questioned. “Because you two need to work things out. You care about him, he cares about you. So try to fix it.” Rob explained.

Violet looked at him before he groaned. “He’ll be here in five.” Her dad said as he left the room.

The brunette rolled her eyes before stomping outside on to the porch. When she did, she saw her dad talking to the blonde teenager.

“You can do this, Vi. Just get through the day.” She told herself. Violet approached the two, instantly feeling JJ’s eyes on her.

Rob gave the two instructions on which orders needed to be done first and which ones could wait. For a couple of hours, the three completed orders, Violet and her dad talking about who made the women’s surfing world’s team.

JJ watched the girl as she talked, the tightness in his chest worsening the longer he watched and listened to her.

After a while, Violet went inside, leaving Rob and JJ alone. Rob may have been meddling in his daughter’s love life but JJ made her happy and that’s all he wanted for Violet.

“She hates me.” JJ said, breaking the silence. “She doesn’t hate you. You two just need to talk through things. With her mother in town, it’s just not a good time for her and she needs you and your friends.” Rob said.

JJ sighed as he continued to wax a finished board, when Violet came back outside.

“I uh, I have to go file that paperwork with Nick. I’ll be back in a couple hours. You two have fun.” Rob said.

Violet paused momentarily, mentally cursing her father for leaving her alone with JJ.

The pair sat in an awkward silence, something they haven’t experienced with each other before. Usually they had trouble not shutting up when they were together.

“So,” JJ started. Violet glared at him through her eyelashes, the look making his chest hurt.

“Violet, can we please talk? Civilly?” He asked. Violet set a bar of wax down and looked up at JJ waiting for him to continue.

“I’m so sorry. I fucked up and I know that and I hate that I hurt you because I never wanted to hurt you. And I don’t want to do that again.” He said.

The brunette was quiet for a moment and nine times out of ten, that wasn’t a good sign.

“I didn’t even tell Kie or Sarah about my mom. I told you because I trusted you. I could have easily lied to you but I trusted you and felt like you deserved to know. But then not only did you tell everyone while yelling at me, but you used it to hurt me when you were the one who attacked Rafe.” Violet started.

She could see JJ was about to make a rebuttal so she quickly cut him off.

“And I know you were trying to defend me and that you had good intentions but you completely turned that anger onto me and that’s not fair. I don’t know what it is that gets you so angry but-” Violet said. “It’s my dad.” He interrupted her.

“What?” Violet questioned. “My dad is the reason I get so mad.” He explained. JJ walked towards the girl and lifted his shirt, revealing three purple bruises on his abdomen.

Violet’s face fell at the sight, all anger quickly dissipating.

“When he drinks he gets mad and when he gets mad, he takes it out on me. That night when I saw Rafe, I got into a fight with my dad four hours before. Rafe was just the scapegoat I guess.” JJ said.

“JJ,” Violet started. He quickly put his shirt back down and stepped back a bit.

“I didn’t tell you this because I wanted you to feel bad for me. I told you because I trust you, Vi.. And I hope you can trust me again.” He said.

Once again, Violet was quiet and JJ assumed the worst. That was until she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I’m sorry for pushing you away.” She whispered. JJ held on to her tighter when he felt his shirt grow damp and felt Violet’s body shake slightly.

He broke the embrace and cupped her face in his hands. “Hey, don’t cry pretty girl.” He said softly, using the pad of his thumb to wipe the tears off her face.

“If I wasn’t so stubborn you wouldn't have to go back home and you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” She said quietly. “You wouldn’t be Violet Elliot if you weren’t stubborn.” JJ told her. Violet looked down at her feet, still feeling guilty for what happened.

“Everything’s okay now, right.” JJ asked. “I don’t think anything will ever be okay with my mom in town.” Violet replied.

JJ looked down at the girl, wishing he could take her away from what was upsetting her.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” He asked. “What? We can’t, we have work.” Violet said. “We finished the whole list your dad gave us. We can take a break. You need a break. At least for a little while.” The blonde told her.

Violet looked from JJ to one of the finished surfboards. She looked back up at JJ before giving in.

“Okay fine. Where are we going?” She asked. JJ’s smile grew as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his motorbike.

“We’re going on a boat ride. Just the two of us.” He answered. Violet furrowed her eyebrows but got on the back of the bike anyways.

They arrived at John B’s, JJ knowing where his best friend kept the spare keys to the HMS Pogue.

“Are you sure John B won’t mind us taking the boat?” Violet asked. JJ was pulling her excitedly towards the dock. He hadn’t been able to spend time with Violet alone in three weeks, maybe longer.

“He’s with Sarah on Ward’s fancy yacht. Trust me, he won’t care.” JJ replied.

The blonde boy helped Violet on to the boat and he wasted no time getting the boat going. He took them to the marsh, the Pogue’s usual hangout spot and tossed in the anchor.

Violet sat on the edge, her feet dangling over the side. JJ moved to sit closer to her, his eyes trained on her.

“I missed you.” The brunette spoke. “I probably shouldn’t have but I did. I’ve been here over a month and I already don’t know what a day without you is like.” She added. “I missed you too. You have no idea. I wanted nothing more than to climb up to your window when I needed you.” JJ replied.

The two looked at each other, both of them leaning closer. Violet wasn’t scared to kiss JJ, it was quite the opposite but the opportunity to push JJ in the water was presenting itself.

The brunette placed a hand on his bicep and pushed him over the side of the boat and into the water.

When JJ resurfaced, Violet was laughing so hard she nearly toppled over. “Oh you think you’re funny?” JJ asked, swimming towards her. “Oh I think I’m hilarious.” Violet replied.

JJ nodded his head before he grabbed Violet’s ankle, pulling her in the water with him. The girl resurfaced and instantly splashed JJ. “That was rude.” She commented. “Now you know how it feels.” JJ replied.

The two subconsciously swam closer to each other as they were treading water. “Hey, Vi?” JJ questioned. “What’s up?” She asked him.

The blonde boy brought a hand up and rested it on the side of her face as he looked at her.

“I really like you. And I’m not good with stuff like this. I don’t know how to act or what the right thing to say is. Before you, I didn’t want a relationship. Especially after seeing what happened with my parents. But, then I decided I do want that. With you.” JJ confessed.

The brunette looked at him for a moment before she quickly and deeply pressed her lips against his. JJ was shocked at first, not expecting Violet to make the first move but he soon quickly kissed her back. It was something the two had been waiting for for a while. And it was everything they thought it would be and more.

They pulled apart slowly, JJ waiting for Violet to say something back.

“I want that with you too, JJ. I’ve just been waiting for you to do something about it.” She said with a small laugh. “So you were waiting on me?” He asked. “Well, duh.” She replied.

He smiled down at her before he kissed her again. The two were soon interrupted by the distant sound of a phone ringing back on the boat. JJ groaned, not wanting to leave that moment and go back to the real world.

“That’s probably John B. Wondering who stole his boat.” Violet joked. JJ frowned before they both swam back to the boat. JJ got on first and pulled Violet on after him.

JJ’s phone was still ringing when they got on board and he answered it, quite annoyed.

“What?” He asked. “Dude, where’d you take the boat?” John B asked. “I’m with Violet.” JJ answered, putting the phone on speaker. Violet assumed John B did the same because she soon got a text from Sarah.

Sarah: what happened?!

Vi: we kissed

The two could hear Sarah scream on the other end of the line. JJ looked at Violet, knowing she was the cause of Sarah’s reaction. John B started rambling questions to JJ before Violet took the phone.

“Okay, by!” She said into the phone before quickly hanging up. “Why’d you do that?” JJ laughed. “Let’s not have John B ruin this moment.” She answered.

The blonde smiled as he pulled her into him. Of course they’ve hugged before but this time there was a different meaning behind it now.

“Do we have to go back?” Violet asked. “He’s gonna need his boat back eventually.” JJ answered. “But going back means facing my mother.” She said. “Do you think she’ll stay long?” JJ asked her. “God knows.” Violet muttered.

After a few more minutes, Violet and JJ decided to head back to John B’s. Hoping to use the ride back to talk about the new meaning of their relationship.

“JJ, can I ask you something?” Violet asked. “Of course you can.” He said. “What are we now?” She questioned. “You told me you wanted a relationship with me, I kissed you, now what?” She added.

JJ was quiet for a moment, and decided to take a leap of faith. “I want to be with you, Vi. I want us to be together.” He answered. “Really?” Violet asked. “Of course. Plus, I beat Rafe at something.” JJ said with a smirk.

Violet laughed and pushed him slightly at his words. “What? It’s true! I beat Rafe at something and I can’t wait to shove it in his face that I got the girl and he didn’t.” JJ commented.

“Boys are stupid.” Violet laughed. Once again, JJ smiled at her, feeling like he did when they hung out for the first time.

Just as they passed the docks that lined the coast of Figure 8, JJ noticed Violet’s mom was talking to Ward on the dock.

“Why is your mom talking to Ward Cameron?” JJ asked. Violet looked in that direction and saw what JJ was looking at. “I have no idea.” Violet sneered. “They’re both terrible people so it doesn’t surprise me that they herd together.” She added.

“Ward knows a lot of lawyers. Do you think she could be trying to get her rights back?” JJ asked. “She can’t even have contact with me until I’m 18 when I’m a legal adult. No lawyer will risk their reputation to cover for a woman who broke the law.” Violet explained. “God I hate that woman.” She muttered.

JJ gripped her hand tightly seeing the topic of her mother had a pattern of setting her off.

“Hey, everything’s gonna be fine.” He told her. “God, I hope you’re right. Everything’s finally going right, I don’t need my mother ruining it.” She replied.

JJ looked down at Violet, thinking of a way to make Violet happy. And the only way he could think of that’ll do that, is if her mother leaves the Outer Banks for good.

Tag list: @outerbxmalia @hockeyschmockey @allie-mcginn @prejudic3 @sexualparkour @k-k0129 @iamaunicorn4704 @milamaybank @jj-maybabe @diverrdown @sweetwatermelonsugar @alexa-playafricabytoto @aaleksmorozova @fandom-phaser @princessmugglecup @infinityspaceuniverse @teamnick @lulbabes @frankiebcanon @srirachabi @starxdame @holadrxrry @lopineapples @belledutchess @floridabornandraised @obbx-tings @x-lulu @hopelesswritingxd @prettyboyspence @junkiemuppettxx @shawnssongs @theloxersclub @99sxuxii @jeyramarie @miliefayy @rudths @y0ungandfuckingdumb @xealia @hotel-colson @bubblesam06 @outrbank @thebendslikebendover @wasted-on-5sos @booksandshish @drizzlethatfalls @runway-to-my-aid @never-ever-too-many-fandoms @xlittlemissydjx @strawberryblondies @haharudy @chickencrispers666 @simonsbluee @httpstarkey @kylable

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extremelyblackandwhite · 4 years

Text

the unseen one - 19

Pairing: Hades!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: none

A/N: i keep playing this game called “if i add this song to the playlist will it spoil the ending” and it has become my new favourite game. sorry that it took me this long to post, it’s been very hot in cambridge which always gets me in a right mood (i hate summer and heat) so i’ve been putting my frustration into finishing my exams. had to take a break because if i have to talk about serotonin once more, my only serotonin left will leave my system 😂

hope you enjoy this chapter xx

Next Chapter >>

(not my gif, credit to creator)

James maintained a tight grip on her as the Charon took them back to his chambers in the Asphodel Meadows. She was silent and still almost like a statue, her eyes taking in as they went away from the Tartarus to the Elysium and finally to the Meadows. Y/N wondered why the King of the Underworld had decided to make his home in such a bleak place. The sounds were always of torture and mumbled cries, the souls were people who, in Y/N’s mind at least, deserved to be somewhere else, and were always begging to be taken out of their misery. It wasn’t a pretty place but his home wasn’t also she’d call a home of a King much less a god. The ceilings were high and the walls were painted in light and dark tones of grey with minimalistic furniture. It was a far cry from what her mother would describe when speaking about deities’ residences. However, James seemed to be a simple man, at least that’s how he showed himself before she got dragged way under.

- Do you want me to ask the servants to draw you a warm bath? Maybe some flower petals? - James questioned, his hand coming up to her face to push some hair away from her sight. - Do you wanna eat anything? Just tell me what you wanna eat and I’ll make sur ...

- Did you hurt Anne? - Y/N was probably the only person in the Underworld who could interrupt James without having the furies being released on them immediately. He daren’t look at her, knowing exactly the look she was probably giving him, the type of look that would make him want to carry the world on his shoulders until she was happy.

- I did not hurt Anne.

- Did you turn her into any of the following. - she raised her fingers as if she were mentally counting. - A plant, an animal, some sort of plant-animal, cursed her, made her grow serpent hair ...

- I didn’t do anything, Y/N. - he held onto her hands before she could list other ways gods had punished mortals. He did wanted to punish Anne, there hadn’t been anyone who deserved more to have the furies released upon them but he knew that if he did such thing, she would probably try and release the furies on him too. - However, next time something like that occurs I will punish them. I’m the God of the Underworld and I won’t undermine that.

- That’s fair. - Y/N scratched the back of her neck. She understood there was a side to him that she was yet to discover, the side of him that was a god, a ruler, but she still wanted to believe that he was her Bucky. - Shouldn’t I get back to Hecate and the other maidens?

- If you want. - he tried to maintain a calm facade but inside he was puzzling himself over if his words had maybe scared her and she would rather be with Hecate than to be with him. - You’re free to do as you may. I just thought you’d want to stay with me.

There was a tinge of disappointment and uneasiness in his features, tightened expression as he managed not to show her how upset he felt that she did not want to be near him. Maybe it was too much for her to handle, after all up until a few hours ago she was sure she was dating a CEO and now she was dating the God of the Dead.

Noticing his, Y/N slowly raised her hands to rest against his cheek, her mere touch raising feelings of warmth in him.

- Sounds like you want me to stay. - there it was, her little playful smirk. James wanted to roll his eyes at her, but he couldn’t help but feel some sort of way whenever she outsmarted him.

- I always want you to stay, Y/N. - of course he wanted her to stay. He had to endure the first moments of their relationship constantly counting the hours and looking at the sky so he wouldn’t be caught and now she was here. Sure, she was here due to uncertain circumstances, but she was still here. - But if you wanna go back to the Elysium, I would understand.

- I just don’t want to cause you any trouble. - Y/N slightly turned her head to the side, embarrassment creeping into her soft features.

- Why would you cause me any trouble, sweetness? - he took the hand that was craddling his face into his own hands, sensing something wrong. - Homesick?

- It’s just ... considering that I’m supposed to be one of Hecate’s maidens, wouldn’t people look down on you if they saw you with me?

- Y/N. - he sighed. - Your parents were Greek historians, right?

- Yeah.

- So tell me, what’s the worse thing a god has ever done? - that as a funny question for Y/N. There were lots of myths that made her sick to her stomach just hearing about it and other myths that would make her want to climb to Mount Olympus herself and punch some gods. The short answer was, there is no short answer.

- Do you want it in alphabetical order? - she joked.

- What do you think it’s the worse offence?

- Well, if you asked me what I think was the worse thing ever done by a god I’d say it was what Poseidon and Athena did to Medusa.

- Were their reputations ruined even after what they did?

- No.

- Then I won’t get in trouble for associating with one of Hecate’s maidens.

- Yeah but gods also turn into a wide variety of animals to go and do less than savoury things with mortals.

- Less than savoury things? - he smirked. - Last time I checked you were one of Hecate’s maidens not Artemis’.

- Cut it off. - she playfully pushed his chest away. Bucky just rolled his eyes at her behaviour, wrapping his arms around her waist, carefully moving her closer to him afraid she might’ve gotten hurt at the Tartarus.

- Come, let’s get some food in you. - he guided her through his place. She wondered why it was so minimalistic and why is it in the Asphodel Meadows of all places. Maybe he disliked to be surrounded by all the fauna and flora of the Elysium or maybe Hecate didn’t allow him near it. Nevertheless, it was an odd place and an oddly unremarkable home, at least for that of a King.

He left her waiting in his dinning hall, allowing her time to inspect it. There was nothing much but a dinning table surrounded by various book shelves. The books were in Greek for what she could muster but what caught her attention were a few picture frames by a half empty unit of the shelf. Y/N’s hands reached for the first one, a sepia coloured photo of Bucky and a blonde man she swore she’d seen before. His hair was much shorter and shabbier with a child like grin, arms around the blonde guy who looked much more polished. Her mind was telling her she had seen this picture before, she just couldn’t point it.

The other frame contained the photo of a couple dressed in hellenic clothing adorned by golden accessories. The man was standing tall, hand on the woman’s shoulder whose hair rivalled the gold colour of the pins in her head and stood sat on a porcelain chair. The look in the woman’s eyes was serene yet controlling, almost like a storm brewing over calm seas. On both their heads sat adorned jewelled crowns and the man held the same staff James had been holding back in the Tartarus.

- Y/N? - his voice suddenly echoing through the silent made her drop the face on the carpeted floors, a flush creeping through the apples of her cheeks as she herself dropped to the floor to grab it and put it back in its due place. - What are you doing?

- I was just looking at your photos. - she put her hands behind her back, eyes lowered to the ground like a child who had just been scolded. Bucky walked over to where she was standing, looking at the frame she had put back. - Are they your parents?

- No, sweetness. - he chuckled. - That’s Hades and Persephone, well, the original ones. I find you must have memory of those who came before you.

- She’s beautiful. I mean, I always thought Persephone had to be beautiful, after all it was said her undying beauty was what made Hades kidnap her.

- Hades didn’t kidnap her. - Bucky always forgot that mortals still fully believed the myth brought back to light by the Greek. Honestly, it was a disgrace that no Underworld God had yet to chance the misconception.

- Yes, he did. That’s why Demeter stopped doing her job.

- Sweetness, do you seriously think someone whose name means Bringer of Death could stay in the Underworld against her will?

- What do you suggest then? - she crossed her arms against her ripped tunic, all knowing smirk on her face.

- I don’t know if I should tell you now. - Y/N huffed, lips coming into a pout which made his heart melt at the look. - If you were to tell the story of Persephone and Hades, how would you tell it?

- I wouldn’t because I seemingly don’t know. - she had a playful nature to her gaze, a stark contrast to those with whom he spent most of his days with in the Underworld. James took her hand in his like a scene in a Jane Austen movie, slowly pulling her to him. - So what’s it gonna be?

- Persephone found the entry to the Underworld and decided to stay because she enjoyed it here. Once Demeter realised her daughter was gone Hades faked the kidnapping story for her because he was hopelessly in love with Persephone.

- What about the nymphs that saw the abduction? How do you explain that?

- There are some perks to being the God of the Underworld, sweetness.

- I’m guessing you won’t tell me what those perks are.

- Maybe later, sweetness. You must join me for dinner now.

- Bucky ... - she picked onto her nails, eyes looking at her shoes. - Who’s the man next to you in the photo?

tag list: @philogrobizedvee @keithseabrook27 @inlovewith319

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euphoriahrs · 3 years

Text

bittersweet | jjk [i.may]

» pairing: manhwa artist!jeongguk x oc

» genre: roommate au

» synopsis: it’s easier to act indifferent than to show vulnerability.

» word count: 2.2k

» disclaimer: contains strong language, but very little

» rated pg 13

*lowercase is intended*

[series mlist]

chapters: i. | ii. | iii. | iv. | v. | vi. | vii. | viii. | ix. | x. | xi. | xii.

a/n: this is my first book, so don’t forget to reblog and let me know what you think about it!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 late spring heat welcomed haewon’s skin as she exited the apartment building with a satisfied smirk and made her way to the park.

the town that she lived in was not that far from the city but close enough so she could go anytime she wanted. it was more peaceful in this town whereas, in the city, there was commotion all day and night.

since she was little, she loved being alone with her thoughts in silence. during her school years, she was okay with being a loner. sure she had friends she would hang out with from time to time, but she preferred having time to herself. now that was something that she rarely had the privilege of having since she moved into her apartment and got a job.

the complex that she stayed in was well kept, not the best of the best, but good enough. the rent was manageable since she shared the apartment with a roommate that she had gotten to know during the past couple of months. the roommate in question was a special case, one that she either enjoyed or despised, but mostly despised.

her legs unconsciously strolled past the numerous buildings on the streets, though one, in particular, caught her eye, one that she hadn’t noticed before. letting curiosity take over, she decided to take a detour and have a peek at the building.

when she got closer it turned out to be an ice cream parlor. the building had a cute but simple modern style to it.

a bell rang as she walked in alarming the worker that there was a customer. she looked around, noticing the green and white modern furniture.

“hello! welcome to rocky’s road!” the girl greeted in a bored state.

haewon glanced at the girl, she was quite pretty, she had a cute girl next door appearance. she was average height, maybe shorter, with honey skin, straight black hair, brown doe eyes, and cute round lips.

haewon, who had slightly sharper features and a slightly darker skin tone, with dark hair that was dyed with ash purple highlights that was always kept in a ponytail, gave her a more mature appearance compared to the girl.

“hi,” haewon approached the register with a small smile. enjoying the smell of fresh waffle cones. “what can i get you today?” the girl asked.

haewon glanced at her name tag, yujin, then directed her attention to the menu on the wall. feeling slightly overwhelmed as there were so many different flavors and combinations to choose from, she continued to stare at the possibilities.

yujin noticed her struggle. “i recommend our special the rocky mountains, which is three scoops of our homemade rocky road in a waffle bowl with drizzled chocolate syrup on the bottom two scoops, marshmallow sauce drizzled on all three and chocolate chips sprinkled all over!” she excitedly explained.

haewon rubbed her chin contemplating whether she should get the treat or not.

after a couple of seconds, she grinned, “sure, i’ll take one of those.”

“that’ll be $4.74. you won’t regret it!” yujin chimed. haewon half smiled, “i hope i won’t,” she paused and adds, “has this place always been here?” still wondering why she hasn’t noticed it before.

“no, we just opened a couple of days ago. there used to be another restaurant here, i don’t remember what it was, but I do know that they ran out of business after drunken fights repeatedly happened and it ruined their image, so no one wanted to dine in,” yujin replied preparing the ice cream.

haewon let out a soft ‘oh’ and walked away to one of the chairs close by. she looked around to get more familiar with her surroundings and pulled out her phone to play a game to help pass time.

suddenly it felt like all of the air was pushed out of her lungs when she remembered what the building used to be. this building used to be the pizzeria that she had been wanting to visit since she moved to this area but never had the time to due to the schedule of her job.

she let out a heavy sigh and turned off her phone not being in the mood to play her game anymore. she dropped her head onto the table to cope with the pain. yujin shot her head up to make sure her customer was okay before focusing back on work.

“i was hoping that i’ll get a chance to eat there soon,” haewon internally groaned. that was the only place that seemed to have decent pizza in this town. she groaned again when another wave of sadness and regret washed over her as she grieved.

a few minutes passed and yujin brings out her finished ice cream and smiled cheerfully, “here’s your order,” she paused, “earlier it seemed as if you were upset about that restaurant not being here anymore. i’m sorry for that, but now you have the parlor that you can come to anytime you like,” she smiled cheekily, “so your next order will be on the house,” trying to cheer the girl up.

haewon was about to object the offer but yujin continued to speak, “i’m actually new to this town and haven’t had the chance to meet anyone yet because i’ve been busy working and organizing my apartment… so would you like to possibly hang out sometime?” she perked with puppy eyes.

haewon froze for a second thinking yujin was coming off a little too strong but thought about how she needed new friends as well. she lost contact with her old friends from high school after they all graduated. she was the only one to lose contact with them, they on the other hand, were all still great friends and went to the same college. but due to her habits of not wanting to talk to anyone, she didn’t try to keep in touch with her friends even if she felt that she should’ve.

haewon nodded at yujin’s request not wanting her to be upset if she didn’t give her an answer in a few seconds.

yujin squealed, “i’m sure that you know my name already, but it’s yujin.”

haewon answered, “and i’m haewon.”

the two chatted for a little longer before haewon remembered that she wanted to go to the park, so they said their goodbyes and she was on her way.

she ate her ice cream on the way enjoying the peaceful outdoors around her, the calm before the storm she thought . her smile transformed into a smirk when she thought about what she did earlier that morning.

when the park was in sight, her thoughts quickly went away, excited to finally be able to reach her destination.

she skipped her way to the park, weaving through running kids to get to the abandoned set of swings that she found on a whim when she first moved into the area.

☽ ⋆ ☾

it was a brighter night than usual with the light of the full moon shining down. haewon thought that it was the perfect night to explore the new area, so she grabbed her phone and left the apartment that her residing roommate was currently knocked out in.

she casually strolled through the streets enjoying the quiet night and being in her thoughts when a playground across the street caught her interest. quickening her pace to cross the road, her feet made contact with the sidewalk and continued towards the playground.

she was looking around reminiscing to when she was a kid playing on the slides, chasing and tormenting other kids with bugs and worms when she noticed a silhouette in a wooded area not too far away from where she was. she headed deeper into the area, stepping on sticks and dead leaves on the way to search for what the object was.

carefully, she stepped closer until it was in view. it was a swing set. that had been left to rust and be forgotten, to spend the rest of its time falling apart until it was completely in shambles.

she was walking towards the set when she froze in place. there was a shuffling noise coming out of the bushes close by. her eyes widened and the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood up.

“it’s close to midnight, who would be out at- oh yeah, me.” she quivered. trying to calm down, she blindly tried to search the area but wasn’t very effective because the trees blocked most of the moonlight. so she waited a few seconds to see if the noise was going to reoccur before continuing to walk to the swings.

she didn’t even get to take five steps before there was another shuffle coming from the bushes.

she jumped in surprise and failed to land on her feet with a thud, mumbling a stream of explicit words as she got up. then she remembered that she took taekwondo and silently thanked the gods that her dad forced her to take those lessons back in middle school.

“i’ll have to thank dad later,” she pondered. feeling somewhat prepared, she stood up, dusted the back of her pants off, and got in position ready for anything that could come out of that bush.

a figure slowly started to creep out causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand up even further than before, if that was possible.

her nervous thoughts rapidly shot through her mind. trying as hard as she could to block them out, she quietly hummed a random melody that she thought of on the spot.

her eyes locked onto where the target currently was. the small amount of moonlight allowed her to at least see the silhouette of the figure.

after a few moments, the figure finally sprinted out. quickly gathering up her courage, haewon dashed right towards the figure but stopped midway letting out the breath that she didn’t know she was holding in.

“a cat?” she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in agitation.

“a cat got me that scared? a fucking cat?!” she exasperated. a few moments passed in silence so she could gather her thoughts. her whole life flashed before her eyes just because of a cat?

“boo!” she quickly spun in the direction of the voice only to find an older man that looked to be in his fifties standing proudly with his coat opened in his hands.

“wha-” she screamed with terror after she realized what she was witnessing while covering her not so virgin eyes.

in a split second, she ran at full speed towards the man. who once had a sly grin, now was shocked in place as she lunged her knee at his exposed balls and scurried her way back to the apartment.

☽ ⋆ ☾

she spotted the woods and ran for the swings.

while eating the rest of her ice cream, she listened to the late morning conversations of the birds along with the trees rustling in the background, shifting the sun’s rays. butterflies, dragonflies, and other little insects flew through the empty spaces filled with the sun’s rays, weaving through trees and other bugs. occasionally, she would see a butterfly or two become a bird’s lunch. the moving sun rays gently radiated off her skin as she looked at the ladybug that was chilling on the seat beside her. she enjoyed the relaxing ambiance before it was to be interrupted.

haewon got off of the swing and headed to the recycling bin for plastic to dump her empty ice cream bowl away. as she walked back to the swings suddenly a song from her favorite band the rose interrupted the conversations that took place around her.

a toothy grin appeared on her face. she looked at the time on her small wristwatch. it was about time that her roommate would decide to wake up since it was the weekend.

she grabbed her phone from her back pocket, her grin turning into the one the cheshire cat possesses and accepted the call. but before she could answer, a husky livid voice boomed through the speaker, “haewon! what the fuck is wrong with you?!”

her smirk not faltering one bit “what’s wrong?” she asked with her voice laced in fake concern and chuckling to herself, “this isn’t funny haewon! you’re as good as dead when you come back,” the voice shouted with irritation. haewon burst into laughter. her boisterous laugh combined with the booming voice coming from her phone occupied the area around her.

“don’t- don’t act like your the innocent one here,” she tried to say in between laughs still imagining how he must look being upset over such a harmless prank.

a few moments later and she’s hunched over with tears stained on her face. she heard her name being said on the other side of the phone. “see ya” she breathed heavily and hung up feeling too tired to talk to them anymore.

after she caught her breath and cleared her mind, she stood back up and wiped her face before making a beeline to the apartment ready to embrace the storm or maybe just a squall that she had awakened.

#bittersweet #bts #bts jungkook #bts fanfction #bts fanfic #bts series #bts wattpad #bts au #wattpad #jungkook series #jungkook fic #jungkook x oc #jungkook #jeon jungkook #jeongguk #jeon jeongguk #euphoriahrs

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perlukafarinn · 4 years

Note

prompt for you: coffee shop + robots + hurt/comfort?

deancas / 5k(ao3)

Dean hasn’t showered in five days. He’s got twenty-three unread messages onhis phone and eight missed calls. He hasn’t bothered to check his email sincelast week.

Being around other humans is out of the question right now but fortunately,Dean works from home and the coffee shop closest to his apartment isandroid-run.

Chuck’s isn’t a great place. The coffee is only okay and theidentical android baristas creep Dean out but right now, he doesn’t care aboutany of that. He just needs to get his caffeine fix without feeling like he’sbeing judged by strangers.

The barista manning the till today is ‘Steve’, according to his name tag. Hegreets Dean and takes his order with polite indifference, eyes not lingering onDean’s greasy hair or the ratty grey hoodie he’s been wearing for two weeksstraight now.

Dean pays for his coffee then goes to wait by the counter to pick up hisorder. He’s currently the only customer, not surprising considering it’s fiveAM. For once, Dean’s fucked up sleeping schedule is working in his favor.

“Large black coffee to go?”

The voice is right next to Dean’s ear and he flinches back, turning aroundto find the barista standing not two feet away, holding Dean’s coffee. He’sidentical to Steve but according to the name tag, this one is called ‘Castiel’.

“Thanks,” Dean mumbles, holding out his hand.

Castiel doesn’t give him the coffee. He tilts his head, observing Dean. “Areyou alright?”

Dean blinks. This is not how it’s supposed to go – the androids follow avery set script and they don’t deviate from it, ever.

“What?”

“I asked if you’re alright,” Castiel repeats. Those android-blue eyes arewide and sympathetic.

“What’s it to you?” Dean snaps, off-kilter and embarrassed. Apparently, helooks so pathetic now that even unfeeling robots are taking notice. “Just gimmemy coffee.”

Castiel purses his lips and for one wild moment, Dean’s sure he’s about tobe sassed by a robot.

“As you wish, sir,” Castiel says instead, finally handing over the coffee.

Dean snatches it without a word. He feels off-balance and embarrassed, andhe just wants to be back in his apartment where no one can see or judge him.

He sips his coffee as soon as he’s outside, too much and too fast, burninghis tongue. It kind of feels like karma.

It’s another three days before Dean finds himself back at Chuck’s.He’s showered in the meantime but the messages still sit unread on his phone –up to thirty-six now – and the phone calls still go unanswered.

It being early morning – still night, really – means that Dean is once againthe only customer in the shop. There’s also just one android behind the counterthis time and unfortunately, it’s just the one Dean didn’t want to see.

Castiel gives Dean an unimpressed look as he approaches, clearly rememberinghim as well. “How may I help you?”

“I – uh – large black coffee,” Dean says. When Castiel just looks moreunimpressed, he quickly adds, “To go. Please.”

“Anything else?”

Dean shakes his head.

As Castiel prepares the coffee, Dean watches quietly. The way he looks, theway he moves seems completely human. Dean at least couldn’t tell thedifference. It’s impressive and more than a little disconcerting.

Castiel shoves the coffee in the go-to cup onto the counter, snapping Deanfrom his thoughts.

“Your coffee, sir.”

Dean takes it, hesitating as the guilt squirms in his gut. He’s come to theuncomfortable realization that if Castiel were human, he wouldn’t havehesitated to apologize for his rudeness. It doesn’t seem right not to, justbecause of that.

“Look, I’m sorry.”

Castiel regards him coolly.

“About last time,” Dean elaborates. “That was… I’m not usually rude toservice workers.”

“I suppose I am the exception,” Castiel says dryly.

Dean shakes his head. “It wasn’t anything personal. I was just having a reallybad day. You didn’t deserve to have your head bitten off for asking aquestion.”

Castiel looks surprised at that. He tilts his head and Dean squirms underthe intensity of his gaze, all too aware of how filthy his hoodie has gottenand the fact that he hasn’t bothered to shave since he last showered.

“Is today better?” Castiel finally asks.

“Not really,” Dean admits.

Castiel’s expression softens. “I’m sorry.”

Dean shrugs one shoulder. His palm is getting uncomfortably warm fromholding the coffee. “Listen, I gotta-” he gestures at the exit.

Castiel nods. “Enjoy your coffee.”

He says it with a smile. Not that service-industry,my-bosses-tell-me-I-have-to kind of smile but small and genuine. It makessomething in Dean’s chest constrict.

“Thanks,” he mutters.

The bell chimes as he exits, much too loud in the otherwise quiet space.

Dean stops by Chuck’s during the afternoon a couple of days laterand Castiel isn’t working. There’s Jimmy, Emmanuel, and Lucifer (what thehell), and they’re all identical to Castiel but none of them are him. Theydon’t ask uncomfortably personal questions or give any indication that Dean isdifferent from any other customer.

Dean gets his coffee to go and ignores the pang of disappointment.

The next morning, a couple of hours before sunrise, Dean drops by again andthere Castiel is, working the graveyard shift by himself.

“So, you only work the night shifts?”

It occurs to Dean only after he’s said it just how stalker-y he sounds. Likehe’s been paying attention to Castiel’s schedule.

But if Castiel is at all put off by or creeped out, he doesn’t show it.“Yes. I’ve been told I’m better suited for it.”

“Yeah?”

Castiel rubs the back of his neck. It’s an oddly human gesture. “I’m notvery good with people.”

“But you’re an android,” Dean says, confused. “What are people reallyexpecting?”

Castiel doesn’t say anything. He looks uncomfortable and it occurs to Deanthat him being an android isn’t the problem; it’s the fact that he doesn’treally behave like one. He’s personable in the way the rest of them aren’t, alittle too intense for comfort.

Dean clears his throat, feeling distinctly like he just put his foot in hismouth. “Well, I think you’re doing fine.”

Castiel’s lips quirk in a faint smile. “Thank you, Dean. Did you wantanything?”

“Oh.” Dean shifts, warmth rising to his cheeks. “Um, yeah, large blackcoffee to go?”

“You’ve got it.”

Dean’s not sure how many unread messages there are on his phone now but itwas up to forty-two the last time he checked. Most of them are from Charlie,because she is the only person Dean knows who is more stubborn than he is. Hehasn’t opened any of her messages but he sends her a quick update to let herknow he’s alive, just to make sure she doesn’t show up unannounced at his apartmentto check.

Most of the rest of the texts are from Benny but there’s also a couple fromBobby and two from Tessa, Dean’s editor. He hasn’t opened those because he hasnothing new to show her, so why bother?

He doesn’t need to check to know that there are no messages from Sam.

Given that he’s ignoring every other person in his life, it’s strange howquickly it’s become routine to go down to Chuck’s at unholy hours inthe morning and chat it up with Cas.

Not that Dean would call them friends or anything but maybe that’s whatmakes it easier. There are no expectations when he’s talking to Cas. He doesn’thave to be fine.

Sometimes Steve is working too and those nights, Dean takes his coffee andgoes. Other nights, it’s just him and Cas.

The bell chimes as Dean enters and Cas calls without looking up from thetill, “Large black coffee to go?”

It’s probably an android thing. Then again, Dean could be getting just thatpredictable.

“Got it in one.”

Cas gets to work and Dean leans against the counter while he waits,watching. It still freaks him out a little, seeing the way Cas moves. There’snothing off about it that Dean can put his finger on; maybe it’s that thosemovements are just a bit too smooth, not so much practiced as predetermined bysome program.

“What is it that you do?” Cas asks, cutting off Dean’s train of thought.

“Do?”

“For work,” Cas clarifies. “Or school, most of our late-night customers arestudents.”

Dean snorts. “Go figure. I’m, uh, I’m a writer.”

The word feels awkward coming out of his mouth. No matter how many times hesays it, it always feels like a pose.

“Do you not enjoy it?” Cas asks.

“Sometimes,” Dean says. “Why?”

“You were making a face.”

Dean raises his eyebrows. ��I was not making a face. And how would you know,you weren’t even looking!“

Cas gives him a deadpan look and Dean blushes because, oh right, android.For all he knows, Cas has a second set of eyes hidden underneath thatsurprisingly realistic head of hair.

“I’m just- nevermind,” Dean says. “Do you enjoy what you do?”

Cas approaches, handing Dean his cup. Their fingers brush as Dean takes it,causing a small shock of static electricity.

“It’s what I’m programmed to do,” Cas says.

Dean takes a sip. The coffee is a little too hot still and it tastes asmediocre as it always does. It wouldn’t surprise him if every cup Cas makes wasidentical to the last. “That wasn’t an answer.”

“Sometimes, then. It depends on the customer.”

“What about right now?”

Cas smiles but doesn’t respond. “What do you write?”

Not much lately, Dean thinks with a grimace. It’s been days since he evengot one word down.

“Mostly short stories,” he says. He’s not sure what possesses him to add,“And it hasn’t been published but, uh, some poetry, too.”

“Poetry?” Cas repeats.

“Yeah. You read it?”

Cas ducks his head, looking bashful, and Dean finds himself thinking that’sa good look on him. If he were human, he might even be blushing.

“I do,” he admits. “I enjoy it very much. I’ve even tried to write somemyself.”

His voice goes quieter as he says that last part, embarrassed almost, andDean feels a sudden swell of affection that catches him off guard.

“Maybe you could show it to me sometime?” he asks before he can stophimself. At Cas’ obvious reluctance, he adds, “I’ll show you mine if you showme yours?”

Cas huffs out a quiet laughter. “I’ll think about it.”

“All I ask,” Dean says, grinning over the rim of his cup as he takes anothersip.

Despite Dean’s precautions, Charlie drops by his apartment unannounced acouple of days later. Apparently, ‘still alive, stop texting’ counts as a cryfor help, go figure.

Her visit is short because Dean’s apartment is a mess and he’s not gonna lether in but she still manages to pester him on a long list of topics from thedoorway: to call Bobby (fine), to take a shower (it’s only beenthree days), to go outside (does going to Chuck’s count?),to see his therapist (hell no).

The moment she brings up Sam, he slams the door in her face.

He doesn’t go to Chuck’s that night, his mood too foul and hisenergy sapped. He sleeps through the night and most of the day, findinghimself wide-awake the following evening as his sleeping schedule has beenthrown for yet another curve.

It’s a little past midnight, so not the hour he usually visits, but Deanneeds to go outside and feel like something resembling human for at least a fewminutes.

Chuck’s is unusually busy – there’s two people sitting by thewindows, chatting over their coffee, and for once there’s a line, albeitconsisting of just one person. Dean waits, nodding at Cas when he waves at himfrom behind the counter. Steve is working tonight as well and he’s the one totake Dean’s order while Cas makes the coffees.

As Dean waits, his phone starts ringing. It’s on silent but the vibrationsare obnoxiously loud, almost worse than the ringtone. Dean doesn’t need tocheck to know that it’s Charlie so he ignores his phone, letting it ring out.

“Shouldn’t you answer that?” Cas asks as he approaches.

“Shouldn’t you mind your business?” Dean snipes, reaching out and snatchingthe coffee from Cas’ grasp before he can hand it to him.

He knows he’s being a dick but he can’t help it. He feels tired andfrustrated with himself and with Charlie, and allowing it to transform intoanger is all too easy.

Going out tonight was probably a mistake.

“I was just asking a question,” Cas says, annoyed. “There’s no need to bitemy head off.”

The words ping something in Dean’s head and he knows, he knows heshould just apologize and go home but it’s like he’s watching himself from theoutside, unable to control what he’s saying.

“Then stop asking questions. Just do your damn job and stop acting like youcare when we both know you’re incapable of it!”

He’s not being loud but the words echo around the shop anyway, causingeveryone to fall silent. Dean is all too aware that the other customers are nowlooking at him and even Steve has stopped to stare but he doesn’t care aboutany of them. Doesn’t care about anything but Cas and the visible hurt he’sradiating.

“That’s not true,” he says weakly. “You know it’s not true.”

Dean swallows. Might as well finish this, push Cas completely away. “No, Idon’t.”

He leaves before Cas can respond, throwing his coffee in the trash on hisway out.

Dean knows he’s fucked up. He’s let this escalate too far, let himself sinktoo low, and now he’s hurting not just himself but the people around him.

At a loss for anything else to do, he picks up the phone and finally callsCharlie back.

She picks up on the second ring. “Dean? Is that really you or did someonesteal your phone?”

“Very funny,” Dean says dryly. He rubs his eyes, already feeling dreadpooling in his gut. This shouldn’t be this hard. “I, uh. I think I need somehelp.”

There’s a brief pause on the other end. “Yeah, of course. What can I do?”

It’s been two weeks since Dean last visited Chuck’s.

He’s been to see his therapist four times in that period, at first escortedby Charlie and then managing the last visit by himself. He’s been out to meetup with friends, all of them politely ignoring the weeks of radio silence andpicking up where they left off. Even Bobby’s been by, mostly to bitch at Deanfor never calling and to complain that the elevator in his apartment buildingsmells like weed.

He’s been in contact with Tessa, getting an extension on the deadline forthe first draft of his novel and a gentle kick in the pants to just finishpolishing his short story collection so it can be sent to print. His sleepingschedule is finally approaching something regular again, though it’s still notexactly normal.

He still hasn’t contacted Sam but, y’know, baby steps.

The one other thing hanging over Dean’s head is his last conversation withCas. He’s not sure their friendship can be salvaged but he at least owes Cas anapology and an explanation. Android or no, it’s obvious that Dean hurt hisfeelings.

On the short walk to Chuck’s, Dean practices over and over in hishead just what he’s gonna say to Cas. He briefly wonders if he’ll be able tosay anything if there are other people around but that turns out to be a mootpoint; when he enters the shop, the only person there is Cas.

He looks up as Dean enters, and he’s clearly shocked to see him but schoolshis expression quickly enough into a blank stare.

“Welcome to Chuck’s, how may I help you?”

Dean winces. Okay, so he deserves the cold shoulder but it still doesn’tfeel good.

He opens his mouth, panics as he realizes he has no idea what to start with,and ends up blurting out, “My dad died.”

Cas blinks. “I’m… sorry?”

“That’s not-” Dean pinches the bridge of his nose. “That’s not what I meantto say.”

“Your father didn’t die?”

Dean clears his throat. “No, he did. I just – I’m not expecting you toforgive me or feel sorry for me or whatever, just because my dad died. I justneeded you to know that what I said the other day had nothing to do with you.”

At the mention of their last meeting, Cas stiffens. He doesn’t say anythingand Dean’s not sure if that’s a good sign. It at least means that he can keepmaking an idiot of himself until Cas sees it fit to stop him.

“I’ve got a lot of issues,” hah, understatement, “that I haven’t really beendealing with. And I just… I get angry sometimes, ‘cause it’s easier. But I’mstarting to work through it now and I hope you do forgive me ‘cause I want usto stay friends.”

Cas is still staring wordlessly at him. The urge to look away or to turntail and flee is strong but Dean resists it. He got to say his piece, now it’sCas’ turn.

“So, yeah,” Dean finishes lamely. “That’s all I wanted to say.”

Cas finally looks away. His expression is impossible to read.

“We’re friends?”

The question catches Dean off guard. That is not what he expectedCas’ takeaway to be.

“I mean,” he shrugs, “if you want?”

“I’ve never had a friend before,” Cas confesses quietly. His expressionshifts, becoming determined. “Yes, we are friends.”

The tension leaves Dean’s body and he laughs at the relief of it. “Okay.Awesome.”

“Yes,” Cas agrees. He smiles and Dean didn’t even realize how much he missedthe sight of it until just now. “I forgive you but you have to stop getting madat me for trying to be nice.”

“I will, I promise.”

Cas nods. “Good. And don’t think I’m giving you a discount on your coffee.”

“Buddy, it’s a buck fifty a cup. I think I can handle it.”

Dean is relieved to fall back into the same routine with Cas. Things are alittle awkward his first couple of visits to Chuck’s but they smoothover soon enough. Cas is easy to talk to and being around him makes Dean feelcomfortable in a way he can’t quite define.

Charlie would love him, Dean thinks, but he hesitates at the thought ofactually introducing them. He kind of likes having Cas to himself.

One early morning, Dean comes running into the shop to escape the torrentialrain. He shakes himself off as he enters, running his fingers through his hairto keep it from sticking to his head.

“Dean,” Cas greets him warmly, cup of coffee already ready on the counter.“I have something to show you.”

Dean approaches the counter, wincing at the way his shoes squelch as hewalks. He should’ve just sucked it up and put on some rainboots. “Yeah?”

“Do you remember when we talked about poetry?”

Vaguely, but there’s one part of it Dean definitely recalls. “Are you gonnashow me something you wrote?”

Cas nods, a hint of shyness in the way he holds out his touchpad to Dean.“It’s not very good but-”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Dean teases, grabbing the pad.

He picks up the coffee with his other hand, sipping as he reads:

“Green is the color of grass

Or so I am told although I have yet

To discover that for myself.

But is it green like the dollar bills

I am handed in exchange for warm cups of coffee

Or green like your eyes?

I hope it is the latter.”

Warmth rises to Dean’s cheeks. He can guess the subject of Cas’ poem easilyenough – just how many green-eyed customers is he likely to have developed apersonal relationship with? – but he can’t work out what it means. Is Cas awareof the fact that humans consider poetry to be romantic? Did he mean it to comeoff that way?

Would Dean mind it if he did?

“What do you think?”

Dean looks up. Cas is watching him anxiously, clutching one hand in theother and clearly preparing himself for the worst.

Dean hands him the pad. “I like it.”

“You do?” Cas glances down at it, then back at Dean. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s very,” don’t say romantic, “evocative.”

Christ, way to sound pretentious.

Cas smiles, hugging the pad to his chest. “Thank you. It isn’t easy, writingfrom personal experience when you have so little of it.”

Dean nods absentmindedly. Then he pauses as he realizes the full meaning ofCas’ words. “Wait, so have you never really seen grass?”

“Do you see any in here?”

Stupidly enough, Dean looks around. “No, but- you must have seen itsomeplace else?”

“I’ve never left this building.”

Dean’s brain grinds to a halt. “What?”

“I haven’t had reason to,” Cas says. “I work on the first floor and rest inthe facilities upstairs.”

“Yeah, but – never?”

“Well, I am only six months old.”

“What.”

Six. Months. Old.

Dean just had romantic notions about the android equivalent of a toddler.He’s taken his anger issues out on that toddler twice now. Jesus fuckingChrist, Cas has had to deal with Dean’s crap for almost half his life.

“That doesn’t mean I am the same as a six-month-old human,” Cas says, as ifhe can tell what Dean is thinking. “My programming holds extensive knowledge ona number of topics, including human behavior. I probably know more about itthan you do.”

Well, Dean brought that one on himself.

“Okay, so, brushing past the whole ‘six-months-old’ thing,” Dean grimaces,“how have you still never left this building? Are you not allowed to?”

Cas shifts, looking nervous. “It’s not what I’m programmed for.”

“Is that a no? What would happen if you were to leave right now?”

“Nothing,” Cas admits. “It doesn’t happen often but my supervisors do haveother androids on hold in case someone abandons their post.”

“So, you could leave?” When Cas just looks increasingly uncomfortable, Deansighs. “Do you not want to leave? Is that it?”

Cas shrugs. “Where would I go?”

“Somewhere with grass?” Dean suggests. “The park? The beach? I don’t know,fucking Las Vegas?”

Actually, Dean would pay good money to see Cas deal with Vegas.

“It isn’t that I don’t want to see other places,” Cas says. “But I’ve neverstepped a foot outside this building. I wouldn’t know how to do it.”

He doesn’t say it but he’s broadcasting it so loudly he might as well have: Casis scared. And Dean can’t exactly blame him.

He takes another sip of the coffee. It’s already lukewarm.

“Dunno what to tell you, Cas. Can’t have those personal experiences if youdon’t risk something.”

Cas doesn’t respond. Judging by the look on his face, he’s deep in thought.

It’s May 3.

Dean was planning on calling Sam yesterday. He dialed his number multipletimes part way through before hanging up. Even got up to five digits a coupleof times.

He just can’t figure out what to say. The last time he talked to Sam, it wasto tell him their father had died and all Sam had to say in response was thathe wouldn’t be able to make it to the funeral.

And that was their first conversation in almost two years.

Dean doesn’t wanna dwell on Sam or his stupid birthday but his mind keepscircling back to it time and time again. It’s been too many birthdays since hesaw his little brother last. Dean doesn’t even know if he ever stopped growing.

He’s in a lousy mood by the time he heads down to Chuck’s and Cascan obviously spot it from a mile away. He doesn’t say anything, though, andDean manages not to be a rude piece of shit this time as he orders his coffee.

After they’ve sat in silence for a couple of minutes, Dean puts them bothout of their misery.

“It was my brother’s birthday yesterday.”

Cas stills. When he talks, it’s clear he’s picking his words carefully. “Ididn’t know you had a brother.”

“I don’t like talking about it.” Dean leans on his elbow. If he’s beingmopey, he’s got reason to be. “I haven’t seen Sam since he went off tocollege.”

“Why not?”

Dean hates telling this story. He’s really only done it twice, once to histherapist and once to Charlie, but he was wasted that time so he’s not evensure that counts.

But then, he knows Cas isn’t gonna judge him. It makes it a little easier.“Dad didn’t want him to go. They got into a huge fight and when it got down toit, I basically had to pick a side. I guess I picked wrong.”

“But your father is dead,” Cas says, as if Dean needs the reminder. “Surelythat must change things.”

Dean shrugs. “You’d think so.”

“Have you told him that you want to make up?”

“He knows I do. I called him after Dad died, told him he should come downfor the funeral.”

“Was that all you told him?” At Dean’s incredulous look, Cas gives him apatient smile. “I’ve found that humans sometimes need these kinds of thingsspelled out for them. They tend to assume the worst, otherwise.”

Dean opens his mouth. Closes it again. He doesn’t have an argument here.

“Well, he should know,” he settles on, just to be petulant.

Cas takes the cup from Dean’s hand and Dean startles, realizing that heemptied it without paying attention.

“You should call your brother,” Cas says.

Dean stares at him, something stirring in his chest he doesn’t have a wordfor.

“You sure they didn’t program you to be a bartender?”

“I do make a mean Tom Collins,” Cas deadpans.

Dean doesn’t call Sam. Whatever conversation they need to have feels tooimportant to have over the phone.

He has Sam’s address. He also has a nice car that’s been cooped up in thecity for too long and a job he can do from anywhere. There is literally noreason he can’t take off for a few days on a cross-country road trip.

There’s just one thing he needs to do first.

The sun has just begun to rise when Dean parks outside of Chuck’s.It’s far later in the morning than he’s usually there and there are a couple ofcustomers inside, the very beginnings of the morning rush, but Cas is stillbehind the counter, along with another android, probably just about to finishup his shift.

Dean gets inside, walking past the line by the counter and getting someangry grumbles from the lady up front.

“Hey, Cas.”

Cas looks up from where he’s working the espresso machine and smiles atDean. “Hello, Dean. You’re later than usual.”

“Yeah.” Dean shifts on his feet. This feels like a bad idea but it’s toolate to turn back now. “I’m going to California. To see Sam.”

Cas falters for just a moment before continuing his work, motions smooth andpracticed. “Oh.”

Dean waits as he finishes up. Once the order is ready and Cas has a momentto talk, he continues:

“Come with me.”

It comes out as barely more than a whisper but he knows that Cas heard it,because he goes completely still.

“What?”

“Come with me,” Dean repeats.

“Dean,” Cas says, and it already sounds like a rejection.

“You said you could leave, so leave. You’ve got somewhere to go and you’vegot someone to go with.”

Cas looks at him, eyes wide and begging him to understand. “Dean, I – youdon’t want me to go with you.”

“I don’t want to go without you,” Dean counters. Whatever Cas is feeling,this much he knows. He’s never been so sure of anything. “Come with me toCalifornia, Cas.”

For a long moment, they just stare at each other. Dean is vaguely aware thathe’s causing a scene right now but it doesn’t matter.

“Steve,” Cas finally says.

“Yes, Castiel?” Steve answers pleasantly.

Without breaking eye-contact with Dean, Cas reaches behind him and loosenshis apron strings. “I quit.”

“You what?”

Cas doesn’t respond, shucking the apron off and leaving it in a heap on thecounter. Dean watches, heart hammering in his chest, as Cas opens the gatebetween them and steps through. It’s strange, having his view of Cas becompletely unobstructed.

“Are you coming?”

Dean shakes himself. He grins at Cas, feeling giddy as their steps fall intoan easy rhythm. It’s not until they’re by the exit that Cas hesitates, that helooks unsure.

“It’s okay,” Dean tells him.

He swings the door open with one hand, holding the other out for Cas. Aftera moment, Cas takes it, intertwining his fingers with Dean’s and squeezingtightly. It doesn’t feel quite like holding a human hand, the skin of aslightly different texture, but that’s okay. It’s Cas.

“C’mon,” Dean says. “California’s waiting.”

Cas takes a deep breath, visibly steeling himself, and nods.

They step outside.

#deancas #destiel #spn fanfic #perlukafarinn writes #coffeeshop AU #robot AU #hurt/comfort #depressed!dean #robot!cas #writer!dean #in case anyone is wondering how dean can afford to live as a writer #without a second job #despite not writing all that much #that's bc i'm picturing this as a society where ppl generally have higher standards of living and need less money #since androids do so much of the work #also i am using android/robot interchangably sorry

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soprano193 · 4 years

Text

Not a Couple

Chapter 7

Kent

The energy at BPD had shifted. At least, it had in the homicide department. As soon as they had accepted that Korsak was retiring, Jane announced that she was moving to DC to pursue a different career. Maura was taking sabbatical to try and write. And that left Kent feeling conflicted. His friends were leaving. Of course, he could make more, or hang out with other departments within BPD. And he was taking over for Dr. Isles, which would give him immense experience in the field. But something about the first group who had gotten to know him all leaving at once had him feeling unsteady.

They had been spending their nights at the Dirty Robber, reminiscing. The first few days, he stayed away, giving them the space they would need to move on. But on the fourth day, Jane called him out in the autopsy room, turning her attention from Maura to address him. “Why haven’t you stopped by even once this week?” Her hands rested on her belt, and her eyebrows raised, waiting for his response.

“I didn’t want to intrude.”

Jane snorted, her voice getting quieter. “Well that’s a first.” Despite her words, her face bore the hint of a smile, made brighter when the Medical Examiner she had interrupted began to giggle.

“Oh, come on, Kent. You don’t intrude.” Maura added in, her head tilted as she looked at her colleague.

Jane relaxed her stance, her arms falling to her sides. “In fact, you’re the only one who hasn’t come. It feels like someone’s missing.”

“That was never my intention,” Kent replied, shuffling the file in his hands back and forth, “I’ll stop by after work tonight.”

Jane grinned. “We’ll save you a seat.” At her words Kent nodded, walking forward to give Dr. Isles the test results she needed, before leaving the room and the two women alone again.

They called it an early night. The case was solved, no one had called, and everyone had been putting in overtime, so there was no harm in going home early. Kent went straight to the Dirty Robber from work, hoping to not be late. Frankie and Nina beat everyone there, grabbing a table towards the back. They waved him over with a smile, Nina even standing to offer him a hug. “Glad you finally came!”

Kent embraced Nina before sitting in a free seat next to Frankie. “Yeah, sorry for the miscommunication.” At Frankie’s confused look, Kent elaborated. “I thought it was only family.”

At this Nina laughed. “I’m here.”

“You’re dating Frankie.”

“Korsak.” Her partner chimed in.

“Owns the bar.”

“Do you think that means anything on nights like these?” Frankie paused to take a sip of his beer. “Besides, you have put up with us for long enough. You’re family.” Frankie waved down the waitress and pointed at their new addition, prompting her to come over and take Kent’s drink order.

Kent took a moment to let the Detective’s words sink in. This, he was finding, was the beauty of BPD. As an impulsive kid who said things and acted without thinking, fitting in had been hard. Here, he had found a group that didn’t judge him for his quirks, that wanted him to tag along. It was nice to know that his inclusion would continue even with all the changes coming up. Looking around, he took a sip of his whiskey. “So where are the girls?”

“They’ll be here,” Nina answered, looking toward the door, “Maura makes Jane pack a box first.”

“Sounds about right.” Kent responded with a chuckle. “They really do have a peculiar relationship.”

“I’ll say.” Angela’s voice came from behind him, making him jump. She pulled out the chair next to Kent, sitting in it and leaning toward Frankie and Nina. “Did you know that Maura has already mapped the route from Boston to DC?”

“Of course she has.” Frankie answered, grabbing a roll from the center of the table. “She’s not gonna be okay with phone calls and Skype. Too impersonal.”

“I’m not even okay with that.” Angela answered, scooting her chair to make room for the newly arrived Korsak. “But I know this is a good move for Jane, and I want her to be happy.”

“Yes, but you don’t love her.” Kent said it before thinking, as per usual, and every face at the table looked at him with eyebrows furrowed. “I mean, of course you love her, you’re her Mother. Sorry. I just mean, you don’t love Jane like Maura does.” Instead of the shock he was expecting, everyone at the table nodded in agreement. It brought him comfort to realize that the little glances he’d noticed, their closeness, their body language, was not imagined by him.

Before Kent could elaborate, the front door opened and Maura walked in. She greeted them all with a smile, her eyes showing a hint of sadness, and she took a seat next to Frankie. She addressed her colleague first, placing her purse on the floor by her feet. “Kent! I’m glad you finally came!”

“Of course. Again, sorry for the misunderstanding.” Moments later, Jane entered, the last to arrive, and took the last seat between Korsak and Maura. “And since I’ve missed a few meetings, the first round is on me.”

“I knew we invited you for a reason!” Jane grinned and waved down the waitress, who came right over with her regular beer. “Sorry it took us so long today. Maura was helping me downsize my box of shoes.”

“Well, it doesn’t make sense to keep shoes without matches.” The Doctor was defensive, but had a hint of a giggle in her voice.

“Why do you have so many mismatched shoes, Janie?” Angela's voice had a tone only a mother could achieve, which made Kent smile into his drink.

"I think a lot of them are left over from when I was on the drug unit?"

It was his pragmatic boss who asked the question on Kent's mind. "What was it about the drug unit that made you lose so many shoes?"

"Yeah, did you lose them chasing down suspects?" Angela asked, still concerned about the mismatched shoes.

“No. I never wanted to wear my nice heels, you know, just in case. So I had a lot of cheap ones.” She grimaced. “Very uncomfortable. I shopped around for some that would fit better. So I ended up with a ton of inexpensive heels. I haven’t gone through them in ages. I honestly think I lost most of them in the fire.”

“Well, now you get to leave town with a much lighter load.” The honey-haired woman tipped her head. “You’re welcome.” This elicited a snort from Jane, her eyes rolling slightly as she took a sip of her beer.

Kent, being one of the newcomers to the group, hadn’t heard of Jane’s time in the drug unit. And he still wasn’t sure how the drug unit led to more shoes. “Wait, why did you need so many heels for the drug unit, but get to wear your trademark boots in homicide?”

“I had to do buy busts, and had to dress the part. That’s how Maura and I met.”

The Doctor’s hazel eyes grew wide and her mouth fell. “Don’t tell him that story.”

“What story?” Kent asked, his interest piqued.

The answer came from Angela. “Maura thought Jane was a hooker.”

As Maura sputtered to find her words, Kent and Nina watched with amusement, clearly the only ones out of the loop. The stunned Doctor turned to her friend, her voice high-pitched and playful. “I can’t believe you told your Mother!”

“Well of course I did!” Jane shouted, glancing in Angela’s direction. “I can’t lie to my Mother! What kind of person do you think I am?” This caused Frankie and Maura to laugh, with Angela watching them, a knowing look on her face. After a few moments, she refocused her attention on Kent. “So the first time we met was at Division One, and Maura thought I was really a hooker. But about two months later I was promoted to homicide. My first day, Maura came upstairs and said something to Korsak about meeting the new Detective. She walked in, saw me at the desk, and immediately turned around and headed for the elevator.”

Maura laughed, her face turning red. “I was mortified!”

Jane continued, “Two weeks later we caught our first big case. On the scene she barely talked to me. She addressed Korsak more often than not. And she wouldn’t look me in the eye. I tried not to let it bother me, but let’s be honest, it bothered me. So Korsak and I started working this case the best way we could. Figuring out known associates, tracking down threats, mapping her movements, that sort of thing. And at some point he tells me to go see if Maura had found anything.”

Korsak leaned forward, excited to add his own part to the story. “Jane was like, ‘don’t send me down to her! She thinks I’m a prostitute, she won’t even look at me!’” His voice was a higher pitch as he mocked his former partner, making Frankie laugh and Jane glare.

“Are we done with your spot on impersonation?” She asked before continuing, waiting for the laughter of her colleagues to die down. “So, I went down to autopsy, walked in, and said something about being sent by Korsak to get information. Maura started rattling off time of death, potential murder weapons, and possible defensive wounds. Very clinical, with a lot of words I didn’t understand. In the middle of this, she stops, looks at me, and said, ‘you made a convincing prostitute.’”

“No way!” The interruption came from Nina, whose mouth was wide open as her eyes flicked between the two women.

Kent addressed his boss. “You didn’t.”

“I didn’t mean it like that!”

Jane laughed, continuing. “See, now that I know you, I get that you didn’t mean it like that. But at the time, I was wondering who died and made you Queen Bitch. I managed to hold my tongue, and forced out an, ‘excuse me?’” She refocused her attention on Kent. “So now Maura started sputtering, apologizing, and she started to get splotchy, and I knew something was wrong. So I offered to start over.”

Maura joined in with a laugh, her face returning to it’s normal color. “I made her leave the autopsy room, and told her to give me a little bit.”

Jane nodded. “I must have stood outside for five minutes or so. When I came back in, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Maura was standing at her computer, looking at a chart. So I walked over, held out a hand, and introduced myself.”

“And just like that, you forgot her assertion from earlier?” The Scotsman watched them as he asked, watching as they shared a look. Jane resolved, Maura curious. He wondered how much they talked about this meeting.

“Honestly, it still stung. But I think it was what she said afterward that helped me understand what she was trying to say.”

“I told her that I had looked her up. That her conviction rate was impressive, and that she must have been convincing undercover.” Maura took ownership of the narrative, looking at her friend, watching Jane’s kind smile as she remembered. “I think we began mentoring each other first. Jane learned a lot about science from me. I learned how to talk to people from her. The friendship blossomed from there.” They both shared a soft smile, a tad bit sad, before turning back to their companions.

Kent made sure to give them a moment before speaking. “Well, that is the most interesting origin story I’ve ever heard. You two should have a comic book.”

“Oh! I have one of those!” Jane shouted to the laughs of her colleagues. This led to the reminiscing Kent was expecting, some of their favorite cases. Angela went back to working after listening to them talk about the clown case. Korsak left after Jane and Maura talked about cutting open Maura’s leg, citing Kiki waiting for him at home. Frankie and Nina left after recounting the case at the Pilgrims stadium. Which soon left only the two women, and Kent at that little table. He hadn’t realized the predicament that would put him in until it was too late.

“Kent.” His boss looked at him, her face serious. “With only a couple weeks left, maybe you want to finish some unfinished business?” Her eyes darted to the woman next to her, then back to him.

Jane rolled her eyes. “Maur, no.”

“Well, I’m trying to figure out why he expressed interest in you, then never acted on it!”

"I'm not interested in Jane." The reply was more forceful than he intended, and the Detective faked a hurt expression. "No offense."

Maura looked between the two of them, puzzled. "Well then, why did you ask me if you could date someone from the police department?"

It hit him in an instant what she was referring to, and now he had to scramble to figure out what to say. "Not because I wanted to date Jane."

"Well then, to whom were you referring?"

His reluctance to speak egged the Detective on, who leaned forward with interest. "Yeah, whom?"

"We can keep a secret."

"I'm leaving soon, no one in DC is gonna care. Just tell us who you like!”

The two women egged him on like schoolgirls and drowned out his train of thought. He couldn't tell them that he had asked to figure out their relationship. And he couldn't think of a plausible interest other than the one he'd suppressed for over a year. As their chorus of voices grew louder he fought to hear his own consciousness, the voices inside telling him to lie. The problem was, the two women were too loud to let him figure out the name of any other female Detectives. So for the first time, he let his secret slip. “Frankie. I wanted to ask out Frankie.”

Their voices stopped abruptly. Maura’s mouth hung open in shock, her eyes wide as she searched his face. Jane however, sat straight as a board, her mouth pursed shut as she glanced over at her friend. Kent began counting the seconds, waiting for them to speak.

It was Jane who broke first. The Detective flashed him a soft smile, dropping her shoulders and leaning forward. "Trust me, after living with my brother for way too long, you dodged a bullet." At her response, he let out the breath he'd been holding, allowing himself to laugh with the two women. "I mean, he had all these rules, took super long showers, and still never told me where his secret drawer is!"

"He didn't tell me either. And I'm an excellent secret keeper." The ME punctuated her sentence with a sip of her wine, a knowing glance shot toward her best friend.

"Speaking of that," Kent started, leaning forward, "you can keep that one, right?"

She answered in the affirmative. "My lips are sealed."

"Nothing against him, I just don't want to make things weird. He's a good friend." The two women nodded, and he noticed the way Maura pursed her lips together, like she was holding something back. "Besides, I have the utmost respect for Nina, and their relationship."

Jane nodded, her fingers running along the bottom of her beer bottle. "I get it. Your secret is safe with us." She finished the last sip, and tapped the table twice with her free hand. "As much as I would love to stay and chat, I really should pack some more things. And throw out some more shoes." She pushed the empty bottle, turning her attention first to Kent. "I hope you'll join us again tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't miss it."

"Good." She turned to Maura. "And I'll see you bright and early."

Maura nodded. "Yes, I'll get coffee and be over around eight. Drive safe, Jane."

Kent definitely noticed the Detective squeeze Maura's shoulder as she left, her fingers waiting as long as possible to let go. The soft smile reserved almost exclusively for Maura, with just a hint of sadness in her dark eyes. He observed Maura watch the door for several seconds after her friend left, seeming far away although she sat only inches from him. And his question was out before he could stop it. "Have you told her you love her?"

Maura took in this question like she took in new data, her eyebrows pulled together as she gazed just past him, trying to put the info in line with the narrative in her brain. "I tell Jane that I love her all the time. It's perfectly natural to be affectionate with your friends."

"No, I mean," he paused, wondering for a moment if he should end the conversation before it was too late, "have you told Jane that you are in love with her?"

Again, she took in his words, trying to make them make sense. For a split second, Kent saw acceptance, her jaw set, her eyes widened. But soon that look became anger, with glaring eyes and a hard swallow. “I am not in love with Jane.”

“Well then, you’ve got me fooled. And I assume you’ve fooled yourself.”

Her eyes widened at his hesitancy to back down. “Well, you know what they say about those who assume.” She finished her glass of wine in one sip, pushing her chair back simultaneously. “I don’t think it’s fair of you to assume how I feel, Dr. Drake. And I don’t need to sit here and listen to it. See you in the office.” With that, she turned and stormed out of the bar.

It didn’t take long for Angela to come over, using his tab as an excuse to pry. “What happened?”

“I pointed out that she loves Jane.”

Angela started laughing, the high-pitched sound helping Kent feel calm, despite his realization that work would be tough the next day. “I always wondered who would break it to them first.” She patted him on the back before taking his card. “You’ll be alright.”

________________________________________________________________

The next day, Kent went out of his way to avoid Dr. Isles. If she entered the room he was in, he’d leave through the opposite door. If he couldn’t leave, he would study results on his computer, so he looked busy. He spent more time in the bathroom in one day than he had for the entire week. Towards the end of the day, DNA results came in. Matter found under the fingernails of a John Doe. He could have just emailed them to her, kept his contact at a minimum. But a small part of him wanted to see how much trouble he was actually in. So this he carried into her office, to deliver in person.

Dr. Isles was sitting at her desk, reading something on her computer. He knocked, making her look up, and waved the file in the air as he entered. “DNA results from under the victim’s fingernails.”

“Thank you.” She held out a hand for the file, took a moment to look it over, and reached for her phone. “I’ll forward this to Jane.” Her response was curt, but she didn’t seem angry. Thinking he had overreacted, Kent nodded and started to leave. “Wait.” Her voice was more forceful, and made him turn around. Dr. Isles’ face was set, very little emotion showing as she gestured for a chair. “Please sit.” Kent did as she asked, his hands folded in his lap, and awaited whatever she was going to tell him.

Dr. Isles took a moment, looking past him as she gathered her thoughts. “Well first of all, I owe you an apology. I think I implied that you were an ass.”

As she spoke, her shoulders fell, making her appear less harsh, and making Kent relax in turn. “You did. But you were right, I shouldn’t assume.”

"You shouldn't. We don't leap to conclusions in our line of work. We wait for the science to determine the facts, and draw our conclusions from there."

"Absolutely," Kent nodded, "I hear you loud and clear."

Dr. Isles gave him a decisive nod as she sat back in her seat. "Well, I was up all night analyzing the data, and it appears that you were right. I'm in love with Jane."

Kent had to suppress a giggle at her words, somewhat surprised it took her this long to figure it out. As he did he noticed the slump of her shoulders and the hint of bags under her eyes, remnants of her sleepless night. "Can I ask you what the deciding data points were?"

"Well, she's very symmetrical, so aesthetically pleasing. I've always known she's attractive." It was the most logical place to start, and her eyes drifted as she figured out what to say. "She has this incredible way of understanding me that I have always admired. Very few have stuck around to help me in social situations I don't understand. She's selfless and brave, in ways I wish I could be. She takes care of me." Dr. Isles' face broke into a wide grin. "Her smile is infectious. She is infectious. I just want to spend as much time as I can with her. Everything makes sense with her. She's the only one who can touch me when I'm very upset, and she can calm me down. And then I started really thinking." She paused, her head coming down as she looked at Kent and addressed him for the first time since she started talking about Jane. "I'm sad Korsak is retiring. The squad room will be different. Our lives may drift apart. And I'm okay with that. It's natural. But imagining life here without Jane," a pause, her fists curling on top of the desk, "it puts knots in my stomach. It feels like I'm losing a limb, and things won't be the same. Does that make sense?"

Kent nodded, understanding exactly what she was saying. "Your heart is breaking. It makes perfect sense." Kent watched her nod and swallow, seemingly relieved that what she was feeling made sense. "So what do you plan to do about it?"

"What can I do?” Her hands turned upward and her voice cracked. “This opportunity is wonderful for her. It’s perfect for her family, it gets her out of harm’s way, and she earned it. If I tell her, and she backs down, does that make me selfish? Or what if I tell her, and it ruins everything? And I lose this friendship, and the family that I’ve been graciously allowed to join? It’s a terrible thought to lose Jane, but I can’t also lose Angela, Frankie, Tommy, and TJ.” Her thumb kept tapping on her fingers, counting people she cared about but didn’t name out loud. People connected to her through Jane. “So I’m doing nothing. I’m pretending I never realized I love her. I’ll support her as she moves, call her daily, and hope that she doesn’t forget about me as she builds a new life.”

Kent could hear the anguish in his boss’ voice, the finality of her decision weighing him down. This wasn’t what he intended when he asked his question the previous night. “She won’t forget you.” It was the best he could offer to comfort her. “I suspect she feels the same.”

Dr. Isles let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. “No, Jane has only ever been interested in men. Even now, she’s been chatting with some agent out in DC.”

“I’m sorry, Maura.”

“Don’t be.” She laughed, flashing him a knowing look. “This is why we shouldn’t fall for straight people.”

Kent laughed along with her. “We never learn.” Kent gave his boss time to relax, telling her jokes and stories to cheer her up. They soon switched gears, discussing everything they had learned about the case, Kent leaving her office with new orders for tests to run and a promise he would see her that night at the bar. He did join them again. Armed with new information, he watched them interact. Maura’s slight hesitation to touch Jane, like she was second guessing her every move. Jane, oblivious to the fact that Maura was studying her, the curves of her face, her expressions as she talked. And the deepening heartache written all over Maura’s face.

What had he done?

#rizzoli and isles #rizzles #rizzles fanfic #my fic

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champagne-bucky · 4 years

Text

The Undoing: Four

Summary: The truth about a past life is unveiled.

Warnings: THIS IS A DARK STORY!! dark! Steve Rogers x reader, kidnapping, non con and dub con (or at least mentions of), dark! Bucky Barnes, Stockholm syndrome, grooming, mentions of pregnancy termination and suicide mentions (for one chapter), possibly more tags to be added!

Notes: Ahhh, so here we are, part 4 and the present time in which this story takes place. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get shit done, but I’ve just been so unmotivated and it sucks because I had all these things planned and ughhh procrastination sucks. Anyways enjoy part 4. Please make sure to like, comment, reblog, inbox, and follow for more!! Enjoy :)

PLEASE READ WARNINGS!!

*Present time*

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Sasha. Happy birthday to you,” the small crowd that was Sasha’s family cheered as she blew out her candles.

Finally, her 18th birthday. A day where she is legally considered an adult. A day that her father had promised to grant her the freedoms that she saw the other kids had. A day where she would no longer be sheltered.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” her mother came up to the young woman and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her father followed suit, a side hug and kiss as she worked on cutting the cake.

“I want the first piece,” one shouted.

“I want a really big piece,” said another.

The shouting amongst her siblings didn’t subside until her father quieted them down with the threat of “no cake at all.”

While her mother busied herself in the kitchen, Sasha’s father was helping his youngest children get their slices of cake. Birthdays and holidays were the only times the Rogers’ family got to indulge in sweet treats. Steve had made it clear that his children were to only eat the healthiest of foods, and his doting wife always complied.

A knock on the door caught Sasha’s attention. While the family was in momentary disarray, Sasha was the only one who ended up hearing the faint series of knocks.

Therefore, she wiped her hands of sweet buttercream icing and made her way to the locked door. The knocks continued on even after she told them to wait a minute. A peek through the peephole revealed a stranger. To be fair, everyone was a stranger to the Rogers’ family. No frequent visitors, friends, even family, the Rogers’ only knew each other.

“Daddy, someones at our door,” Steve abandoned the youngest child to meet Sasha at the door.

Steve glanced through the peephole and for a minute it seemed like he saw a ghost. “It can’t be,” Steve swung open the door so fast that Sasha feared she would get knocked out by it.

“Bucky,” Steve looked at the stranger on the other side of the door.

“Been a while huh?” The man, Bucky, gives a half grin at Sasha’s father.

“Wow,” Bucky turns to Sasha, “she’s all grown up,” Bucky invites himself in, but before he could get halfway past the threshold Steve stops him.

“Why all of a sudden have you turned up?” Steve gives Bucky a look that says “don’t say too much.”

“Because there’s a party going on,” Bucky then turns to Sasha. “Happy birthday sweetheart. My god, look at you,” Bucky looks her up and down. Sasha looked very taken back by the strange man. Who was he and why did he know your father?

Steve cleared his throat, “uhm, Y/N is in the kitchen cutting the cake. Why don’t you stay for some,” Bucky obliged and made his way into the kitchen.

“Dad, who is he?” Steve was quick to dismiss her question by replying that he’d been an old friend that knew him back when Sasha was first born.

Buck had made his way into the small kitchen, nothing had changed since Steve had brought his now wife here. In that kitchen were a bunch of children, some big and some small, all asking for a slice of Sasha’s birthday cake.

And then there was her, the young women that Bucky once knew, now all grown up with a family of her own. Bucky couldn’t help but smile at how pleasant she looked while serving the youngest children slices of their cake. She turned once she felt a presence at the door. A mix of emotions flashed through her eyes for a moment, but then her confused expression turned into a smile. She gladly walked over to the long time friend and greeted him with a huge smile and open arms.

“Bucky, it’s great to see you,” not a hint of sarcasm or an urgent surge of rage coursed this beautiful woman. She was genuinely happy to see the man that ruined her life prematurely.

“You haven’t aged a day since I last saw you,” Bucky smiled as he hugged her back. She looked nice in her freshly ironed dress and brand new heels her husband had demanded she wear around the house at all times.

“Please, come sit down while we have some cake. Kids, get to the dining room now please,” the herd of small children rushed out into the dining room with their sweet treats in hand.

Bucky was observant throughout dessert. Upon dodging judgemental and questioning looks from Steve, Bucky got to know more about the rest of the Rogers family.

“Last time I was here you had just had Gwynedd, yes?” Their mother nodded as a carbon copy of Steve Rogers looked up at him with a smile. She was going to be 17 soon, as she mentioned to the family a handful of times about birthday party ideas.

Then there was the third oldest, Max, a short haired, freckly 15 year old who had dreams of becoming an engineer. Reid was approaching 13 years old in the next couple of months, he was adamant on a firetruck themed party seeing as he wanted to be a fireman when he grew up. 11 year old Jocelyn had the same physique as her mother, but her personality was all Steve, she was sassy and always helping out her younger sibling. Last, and probably won’t be the least, was 9 year old Sarah Rogers, named accordingly after Steve’s long departed mother of course, she was the prized baby of the family that no one could touch.

Then there was Sasha, the oldest Rogers. Sasha was 100% her mother, from looks to personality. It was almost like someone hit a copy and paste button on everything Y/N Rogers and stamped it perfectly onto Sasha. Bucky couldn’t believe that the once small baby girl he held in his hands had grown into a beautiful, young woman. Bucky was snapped out of his thoughts when Steve called his name.

“So, um, Bucky, what plans do you have for the summer?”

“Daddy says we might be able to go to the seashore this summer if we all behave,” Sarah shouted with her mouthful of cake. Her mother scolded her for interrupting Bucky and Steve.

“Well that sounds a lot more exciting than what I’m doing, Sarah. I’ll be fixing up this old house I bought a few blocks over from you guys. I got it for cheap so I want to do some remodeling and maybe sell the place before autumn.”

“Why would you buy a house just to sell it again in a few months?” It was Gwenyd’s turn to interrupt this time.

“It’s called house flipping Gwen, people buy crappy houses and pour all their money into it so they can get stinkn’ rich off the place,” Sasha finally spoke up.

“Sash, remember we don’t use words like that in front of the younger ones,” her mother reminded her before putting her head down and eating the rest of her cake slice.

“You’re very correct Sasha. Think of this as a new hobby of mine, Steve, taking something old and run down and forming it into something new and modern.”

“So what are you going to do to it?” Gwenyd asked.

“Well I'm going to redo the whole structure of the outside, maybe add in a pool and deck area in the backyard. The inside I’m planning on gutting the whole thing and putting in my own personal touches,” the children all ooh’d and ahh’d at the idea.

The wheels in Bucky’s head were turning for a moment. He looked at sweet Sasha and the other kids. He couldn’t just leave them caged up in this house for the summer. He knows Steve. He knows that he’ll keep them locked up inside for fear of one of the children saying something about their unusual situation. He didn’t want to leave Sasha most of all. 18 years old and definitely hasn’t gotten a chance to explore the world. He wanted to help them.

“Say, kids, redoing a big house is a lot of work for one man. How about you guys help me out and I’ll give you some money for your seashore trip,” Reid jumped out of his chair all excited.

“Daddy, Mommy, please please please let us help Bucky. Please!” Steve quieted Reid down.

Their mother kept her head down. She would love for them to get out of the house for a bit, but Steve makes all the rules.

“I’ll have to think about it, Bucky,” Steve said which caused the younger siblings to groan.

“I think it’ll be fun, dad. We get a little bit of work experience, we’ll be kept busy for a couple weeks, and we can make our own money,” Sasha spoke up and Gwenyd was giving her dad a thumbs up to agree with her older sister.

“I said I’ll think about it, girls,” Steve said sternly while finishing off his cake.

Steve couldn’t help but glare at Bucky throughout the rest of dessert. Something just wasn’t right about Bucky’s abrupt visit. Steve’s wife didn’t seem to care much because she enjoyed getting visitors, but Bucky wasn’t a frequent visitor in their home.

Bucky left Steve soon after Gweyndd was born. He stayed around because Steve needed someone to help take care of Sasha while he was busy breaking in his wife. Steve never told Bucky to leave him after that, he would’ve preferred if Bucky stayed around to be in their lives. However, one morning he took off and never came back, he even went as far as breaking all contact with Steve.

Dessert was over and the kids were helping their mother clean up. Steve offered to help, but the kids hopped right to it, cleaning down the table and loading the dishes into the sink. While they were busy, Steve led Bucky into their family room with a couple beers in his hands.

“So, why are you really here?” Bucky laughed.

“Stevie, I just said I was stopping by. Sasha’s 18th birthday is a pretty big deal. No longer a young girl, but a grown woman,” Steve seethed at his response.

“So after all these years of no contact you just decided to show up again after like everything is okay?” Bucky looked at their surroundings to see if anyone was listening. When the coast was cleared he finally spoke up.

“I had the cops on my ass since that first week. That stupid family next door had cameras showing me getting Y/N to come outside with me. Lucky I convinced Sam to pull those traffic cameras and delete the evidence or we both would’ve been caught.”

“The cops were snooping around and you didn’t think to tell me?” Steve heart rate picked up. He did get questioned by the cops one day, but already rehearsed a solid alibi. Who would've guessed that taking that one drama class in high school gave him solid acting skills.

“I had to lay low. I’m pretty sure they tapped my phone and had P.I.’s following me everywhere I went. Once I was cleared of anything I got a new job and skipped town.”

The case went cold after a few years, Steve guessed that they were trying to pin the disappearance on Bucky, but considering Bucky is standing in front of him today it seems he got off.

“So what do they think happened?” Steve whispered.

“A classic runaway case. The family refuses to accept that she’s gone for good. I got to town every now and then and I hear that the parents go looking for her every night on their own. Everyone gave up on them,” Steve let out a breath of relief. He feared that the cops were still after his wife after all this time. It’s refreshing to find out that the case is really over.

“So, you really taking the kids to the beach?” Bucky smirked already knowing Steve’s response.

“They’ve been hounding me all year that they wanted to get out of the house and do something fun. Had to tell them something to get them off my back.”

“When are you gonna break the news to them?”

“Probably a week before I told them we would go. I’m sure Reid or Joce will do something that’ll make me “change my mind”,” Steve smirked. He really couldn’t risk them going out of the house.

“Why don’t they come with me,” Steve laughed.

“I’m serious, Steve. All that time in the house with the kids, how do you and the missus have any “free time”,” Steve rolled his eyes.

“What we do is none of your business. Plus, I don’t want any of these kids to run their mouths like Sasha did,” Bucky asked what he meant by that. Sweet Sasha would sell out her family like that?

Steve explained the whole situation. She took playing house a little too far and took the kids outside to play. Just as bad luck would have it, the neighbors were also outside when they noticed a bunch of unattended children running around and playing. The nosy bastards kept asking Sasha questions. Did you kids just move in? Where are your parents? You’ve been living here how long?

Fucking CPS got involved and wouldn’t let up on the family. Steve’s wife sure as hell got a punishment of a lifetime. She also had to stay in the basement anytime a social worker would have random visits. Couldn’t risk anything.

To get them off their backs, Steve promised that he would enroll all the children in real schools so they would get more social interaction from their age groups. Yeah, that lasted about a month or two until the social workers stopped coming by. Everyone of them got pulled out of school except for Sasha. She enjoyed learning so much and was already making her way into high school.

It took months of convincing her mother to help her out to convince Steve to let her go to high school. Long nights and heated arguments between the couple was giving Steve major migraines. He finally agreed, but only on a string of strict conditions. Luckily, Sasha was already well behaved at this point so he wasn’t too worried about her fucking up again.

“I think it’ll be a good idea to let the kids come with me. They can learn new things and it’ll get them out of your hair. Think of all the time you and Y/N will have. So much time that you could be giving the kids and new brother or sister,” Steve did perk up at that idea. He has been on his wife for a while now about wanting a new baby, they just aren’t getting many opportunities to try with all the kids around.

Steve thought for a moment, “You’ll make sure they won’t get into any trouble right?”

“I’ll watch them like hawks,” Bucky promised as he saw Sasha coming out of the kitchen to head upstairs.

“Hey daddy, I’m gonna go to bed, but I just wanted to say goodnight. Thank you for a great birthday,” Sasha kissed her father’s cheek.

“It was nice meeting you Bucky,” Bucky smiled at her as she walked upstairs.

“You raised her well, Stevie.”

“Fine,” Bucky was surprised.

“Fine what?”

“You can have the kids help you, but don’t get into anything stupid or I’ll have your head,” Steve threatened as the other children started to come in to say goodnight.

“I’ll be here 8 sharp then,” Bucky got up to leave soon after the kids were getting ready for bed.

Bucky had his own planning to do, and he would make sure he would keep Steve’s word.

For something that the children were so excited about, they were relieved that helping Bucky out was over.

What they thought was a couple week project turned into the whole summer. A few fights and temper tantrums later and the house was almost done. However, Bucky wouldn’t need their help any longer. Instead, he agreed that he would keep them longer so Steve had a good excuse to say why their trip wasn’t happening this summer. The kids were so upset that their beach trip got canceled, but Bucky made it up to them by buying them ice cream and letting them watch movies all day one day.

Not only did they get endless amounts of ice cream, but they had a new addition to expect in the next 9 months. Yes, their mother got pregnant again with another child. Bucky could tell Sasha was a little upset by this, but the others were thoroughly excited about a new brother or sister joining the family.

The nights got cooler and the days were getting shorter meaning fall was approaching them. Which meant Sasha would finally be able to get back to school. While most kids dreaded going back Sasha didn’t. She loved school, her teachers, classes, and most of all was getting new books. There has never been a kid who enjoyed reading a European World History book more than Sasha Rogers. Also she couldn’t wait to get some peace and quiet away from her brothers and sisters.

“Sash,” Bucky stopped her before she could walk out of his new house.

“Yeah, Buck,” they had grown rather close during this time, almost as if they were long lost friends.

“I got you something. Think of it as a late birthday present,” Bucky pulled out of his back pocket a rectangular device. Sasha had seen them on TV all the time. In fact, she begged for one for so many years, but her father yelled at her to drop it before he got even more angry.

“I’m not supposed to have one of these. Dad will kill me, he’ll kill you,” Bucky laughed and shoved the phone and its box in her hands.

“It’ll be our secret. Hide this in and don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell mom or Gwen, even your friends at school,” Bucky urged her to take it.

“But I can’t pay for it,” Sasha wasn’t allowed to have a job either.

“I’ll take care of everything. Just to make sure we are clear, don’t do anything stupid with this phone. You tell no one about it at all. If I find anything bad on this phone I won’t hesitate to tell your father, understand?” Sasha gulped and shook her head out of fear of what her father would do.

“Uhm, uh, thank you so much Bucky,” Sasha hugged him.

“It’s no problem at all, Sash.”

Now with a phone in her hand and access to contacting her, Bucky had his own plan in motion.

Tags to be added in comments!!

#Dark Avengers #dark captain america #dark steve rogers #dark Steve rogers x reader #dark Steve rogers fic #dark marvel #mcudarklibrary #dark bucky barnes #dark james barnes #dark winter soldier

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clairecrive · 4 years

Text

“Mr Darcy” pt.2

Here it is guys! This has been highly requested and I loved the first one just as much as you did so I couldn’t really say no. However, I do think I’m better at writing angst than fluff so I’m not too sure about this one. I hope you like it nonetheless! I’ve decided to post this now as a treat for the week that it’s about to start ‘cause I’ll be hella busy and idk if I’ll be able to publish anything.

Tag list: @deaflikehawkeye, @mollybegger-blog, @br0ck-eddie, @of-love-and-of-the-sea, @fandom--0verdose, @evelynshelby, @shadow-of-wonder, @innerpaperexpertcloud, @sopxhiea, @fuseburner (let me know if you wanna be added)

Part 1

It had been a week. However, if you were to ask either of them, they would have said that it had been longer. When y/n got home that evening, for a moment she thought of how stupid the whole fight was. She could see that maybe she had overreacted a bit. She knew how Alfie could choose the worse words possible to express his feelings. Maybe that was the case and not his subconscious confirming her worst fear. For a moment she had actually thought of calling him and ask him to come back and talk it through. But then, after a look at the clock, she decided that it was best to sleep on it, clear their heads and face the problem when both of them had sorted their minds.

There were some things though, that were better done sooner rather than later. And resolve an argument was one of them. A part of her secretly hoped for Alfie to call her or give her any sign that he wasn’t going to accept her decision. Because it had been, in fact, her decision to break up. At that moment in time, in his car with his words fresh in her mind, that had seemed the only logical thing to do. Now, days after the argument, she realized that no, of course it wasn’t. But she had been so hurt by his insinuation, it had hit too close home for her to just ignore it or think straight.

Next day came around and y/n was wondering if she had thrown everything away or if there still was a chance for her to fix things. Alfie had said that he loved her, so that meant that he wouldn’t be mad if she called him. Right? She had made such a fool of herself though. And how could she have ended things so easily between them? Like it meant nothing to her. Like it was the easiest thing to do for her. But god that couldn’t be more wrong. Saying those words had killed her. She could swear that she had lost a piece of herself that night. The piece of her heart that was forever gonna be Alfie’s.

So days went by and y/n was stuck trying to find the right words to express what she wanted to say and also to gather the courage to make the call. Alfie hadn’t called nor texted, despite her untold wish. But that shouldn’t have surprised her after all. Alfie was proudful and she was the one who ended things so he would have never made the first move. Y/n had always insisted that girls shouldn’t be afraid of making the first move when it came to guys. However, now that she was put in that position, she found that it was easier said than done.

Finally, on the fourth night after the day at the beach, she was settled. She was going to call him and ask him to come over and if he didn’t want to she was simply going to explain herself over the phone; if he didn’t even want to hear her out then at least she had tried. That wasn’t much more she could do other than try and fix things.

So she pulled out her phone and unlocked it to dial his number. She forgot though that the last time she had used it, she was wasting time on Instagram. So her IG feed was the first thing she saw when she unlocked her phone. She went to close it when a picture or rather a story caught her attention. There was a preview of the stories of some of the accounts that she followed but only one made her stop and freeze on the spot.

Karen’s story was on display. But that’s not what bothered her. She was with a guy or well, she had posted a guy in her story. Nothing unusual for her up until this point if it wasn’t that the guy’s hand was one y/n was very familiar with. Shaking her head as if to send the thought away, she took a deep breath before opening the story.

Her heart stopped. Her breath got stuck in her lungs.

The crown tattoo was unmistakably Alfie’s. What were the odds of Karen coming across some guy who had the same tattoo of her ex and wore the same kind of rings?

The next story, however, tragically dissipated every doubt.

It was Alfie indeed. He was standing behind her pulling his selfie face. Which was basically his face, just void of any expression.

They weren’t alone. The other guys of her group of friends were there but that wasn’t comforting at all. He had gone out with the lads, so what? Y/n and Alfie had been together for a while so it was only natural that her friends became his friends too. There was nothing wrong with that.

But why was he standing so close to her? Why had he agreed to take a selfie? She usually had to beg him to take pictures together. And why had he gone out to party when they had just broken up? He had looked genuinely broken that day, she was basing her hope to fix things solely on that. She thought that he cared about her and their relationship. But did he really, when so soon after their split up he had gone out to party? The thing was, that Alfie had always told her that he hated going to the disco. It wasn’t really dancing what they did in there and that people only got there just to find someone to screw. That’s what he used to say to her.

Locking the phone again, she discarded it on the table while she let herself fall on the sofa. Timing was everything and she was suddenly grateful that she hadn’t called him. Otherwise, she would have looked like a fool, and he had already hurt her enough. She didn’t need to add things on her regret list.

So here she was then. Almost a week after their break up, heartbroken and desperate, pitied by her friends that forced her to go out. If Alfie was enjoying himself, they didn’t see why she couldn’t do the same. Even if going out was the last thing y/n wanted to do, she knew that her friends meant well and that it wouldn’t hurt her to be in their company. So she agreed to the meeting and that’s why she was here in an unknown bar with them.

Half an hour in and she felt thankful that she had listened to them and gotten out and grateful for their presence in her life at the same time. However, the feeling was soon forgotten when she saw two people approaching their table. Karen had entered the bar, wearing her usual skimpy outfit with Alfie following right behind. After the night she had seen her igs she shouldn’t have been so surprised to see them together. However, she couldn’t help the pang in her heart that seeing them, him, inflicted.

As soon as her friends spotted the couple, they made space for them closing up on her at the same time as to protect her. They moved so that Alfie and Karen would be sat at the other end of the table and if y/n didn’t turn her head to the side, she would be able to ignore their presence completely. And for the first ten minutes or so she was able to.

Then she could feel Alfie’s eyes on her from time to time and suddenly ignoring Karen’s high pitched voice was proving to be a more difficult task than she had initially thought. So when the opportunity presented herself to leave the table for a while, she greedily took it. It didn’t matter that y/n would always avoid talking with the barmen or the waitress because she’d get all uncomfortable making the exchange painfully awkward. She’d do it all the same if it meant getting away from that snake.

After taking everybody’s order she got up and approached the counter waiting for the girl to notice her before repeating the order to her. Taking a deep breath she rested her head on her hand trying to compose herself. She and Alfie were over and since her friends were also his, she’d to learn how to deal with it without getting too bothered.

“Hey,” Alfie interrupted her autogenic training, startling her a bit. She didn’t expect him to follow her nor to try and initiate a conversation. But she would be civil. It had been her decision after all.

“Hey,” she greeted him back, her eyes never leaving the girl that was making their drinks. She hoped she was almost done, any minute longer and this exchange was bound to get very awkward very fast.

Alfie wanted to talk to her but he didn’t know what to say. It was the first time they met after the break-up and now talking to her seemed the hardest thing to do. He knew that she wasn’t going to say anything if he didn’t. So he tried to come up with something to say.

“How are you?” Emphasis on try.

Y/n did her best to fight to urge to roll her eyes and reply with a sassy comeback, but really how could she? And since when Alfie bothered with small talk? Seemed that since they split up a lot of things changed. Or maybe they had always been like that and she hadn’t noticed before. Y/n couldn’t know that in that moment Alfie was mentally kicking himself for choosing the lamest thing to say. He absolutely abhorred small talk and so did she. But he had to make her talk someway. Deciding to not play along with him, she just turned to give him a pointed look. She had always been good at conveying her emotion with just her eyes. And Alfie knew her well enough that reading her wasn’t hard. Instead, she decided to turn the question.

“How are you?” She tried to leave any trace of accusation from her voice but by the way Alfie shuffled on his feet, she must have failed.

“Could be better.” Was his answer. Turns out that he had also decided to stir away from small talk. A simple “fine” wouldn’t have done. They both knew each other too well though that they could easily spot the other’s lies. And that would have been a lie.

Despite appreciating his effort to be genuine, y/n really couldn’t help the scoff that left her mouth. She tried to cover it with a cough but when Alfie looked at her she quickly tried to divert his attention.

“Did you enjoy yourself last night?” To be fair, maybe it was better if she had scoffed and turned around and nothing else. Because now the conversation was going to be uncomfortable indeed.

It was Alfie’s turn to be startled. He knew to what night she was referring to and guilt was taking over his body after he detected her tone. When he accepted the invitation he hadn’t really thought about how it could have affected her. He just took it as an opportunity to get out of the house and do something that wasn’t thinking about y/n. When he realized that Karen was going to be there, he knew that she was going to document the night. There was nothing he could do then, other than hope that you didn’t go on Instagram that night. Seemed that you had seen it though and now he was once again at loss for words.

“Speaking of-” Alfie started but y/n didn’t let him finish.

“What you do is none of my concern anymore, Alfie. I just didn’t realize you and Karen were so close. Must have gone over my head. But oh well, I’m happy to see you happy.” And with that, she completely dismissed the conversation and turned around to go back to their table. Alfie hadn’t noticed that their drinks were ready. He was standing there speechless at her insinuation and the ease with which she had just left him there. Happy? Him?

Making his way back to their table too, he was surprised to notice y/n’s absence. Turning to Mark, the closest guy to him, he inquired about her and learned that she had gone out for a breath of air. This was his occasion and he’ll be damned if he wasn’t going to make the best of it. He got out of the bar and saw y/n standing close to the bar’s wall, her head lifted back on the wall, eyes closed. Alfie walked up to her and mirrored her position but didn’t speak.

“Luke, I’m fine I swear. You don’t have to stay here with me.” Y/n had felt someone approach her and settle beside her and had naturally deducted that it was Luke who had come out to check on her.

“‘snot Luke,” Alfie mumbled loud enough so that she could hear. He feared her reaction but was also put off by the fact that her mind had instinctively gone to Luke.

“What are you doing out here?” Almost alarmed, y/n promptly opened her eyes and looked at him. He was the last person she thought would come out.

“I came to check up on ya.” Alfie said almost timidly.

“Thank you but there’s no need. You can go back inside.”

And here she was dismissing him again. Alfie couldn’t believe what they’d come to. There was a time when y/n would always be asking for more time together, would always be by his side, would always be present in some way. Now here she was, sending him away like she could hardly bear to be near him. The realisation hurt but Alfie had no one to blame other than himself.

He didn’t listen to her. He stayed right where he was. There was nothing inside that was calling him anyway. There was nothing more important than being here with her. No other place where he’d like to be.

“Happy,” he voiced out his thoughts to no one in particular but he knew that she was listening, “you said that I’m happy,” he scoffed. “How could you ever say that?” he accusingly asked her hurt by her insinuation.

“Well, you look fine to me. Looked like you were enjoying yourself at the club. So yeah, I assumed you were happy.” Scrolling her shoulders she explained herself not meeting his eyes. “Aren’t you?” The question came out barely audible. Y/n wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.

“How could I be?” To Alfie, it was unfathomable that she could think that he was happy. They had split up for god’s sake, how could he ever be happy after that?

“It seemed that you had moved on, I don’t know.”

“Do I look like I’ve moved on?”

She then looked at him, really looked at him for the first time that night and well, he had a point. He looked like he hadn’t had a good night sleep in at least a week but to be fair Alfie always looked a bit dishevelled.

Y/n could sense that if she stayed out there with him they were going to argue and she was too tired for that. She hated arguing, she absolutely despised it and it seemed like it was all they were doing. Letting out a sigh she moved off the wall and was about to get back inside when Alfie’s voice stopped her.

“We need to talk about what happened the other night.” He said but she just looked at him. Was there any point in talking about it anymore?

“Talk to me, y/n. Please.”

“I don’t think there’s any point in discussing it anymore, Alfie.”

“Well, I fucking don’t think so, right?” Alfie was growing agitated, she could tell by the way he would grip his beard, “ we broke up and you’re telling me that there’s nothing to discuss anymore? So that’s it then? That’s what you’re telling me?”

“You didn’t call. You didn’t text. Nothing. If you had something to say you would have. Besides, why are you even mad, Alfie? I’m not the one who’s already involved with someone else.”

“The fuck yer on about, eh?”

“You went out with her. You came here with her, sat next to her. You took pictures with her, Alfie. I used to have to beg you for one. Funny how things change, eh?”

“There’s a whole fucking big misunderstanding here pet, right? I’m not with Karen.” He scoffed at the thought. As if. “How could I, right, when I’m still in love with you?” But y/n chose to ignore his last sentence.

“Well it doesn’t matter, does it? You’re single now, it’s bound to happen.” Saying that s-word really took it out of her but that was true. It was as if she was actually realizing it for the first time. He was single. And guys never stay single for long. She better get used to the idea of seeing Alfie with someone else, even if it wasn’t Karen.

“Stop y/n, just stop. Stop talkin like we’re fucking through and done, ‘lright? I can’t fuckin stand it.” Shaking his head, Alfie looked like he was fighting his inner demons. He looked haunted. The truth was that what he said was true. He really couldn’t bear hearing her talk about them like they were a thing of the past.

“It’s the truth, Alfie.” She muttered because pointing that out hurt her too.

“No, ‘snot, ‘lright?” Taking a step towards her, Alfie was failing at keeping his distance from her and was ready to give in to that instinct that told him to scoop her up in his arms and never let her go. “ Please, y/n. You have to let me make this right.” He literally pleaded. Y/n had never seen Alfie so desperate. She would love nothing more than to give in and tell him that it was okay, that they were okay. But they weren’t. What happened changed the way she thought of him and she didn’t know if it was a reversible thing.

“I trusted you, Alfie. I opened up to you, I confided in you against my better judgment that told me not to trust guys anymore and look what happened.”

“I’m so, so sorry pet. I never meant to hurt you. You have to believe me, at least on that.”

“I thought you were someone that was never going to hurt me. But I was just being naive, I guess.”

“I screwed up y/n, okay? Don’t ya think I fuckin know that? That I’ve been kickin meself for it since it happened? I knew I had fucked it all up as soon as I opened my mouth.” Grunting as if trying to express himself was actually hurting him, Alfie took his frustration out on his soft hair. “I just- I was tryin to tell ya that I didn’t care about those things. But you know me pet, I always say the wrong thing.”

“That’s one way of saying it.” She agreed scoffing.

“Luke probably has chosen better words, I’m fuckin sure of it, but I don’t see why his were okay and mine were not.”

“What does Luke have to do with this?”

“Well, Karen told me that you was worryin yerself about yer imperfections. Well, what you think are imperfections ‘cause I ain’t never thought of ‘em like that, right? So I was trying to be a loving boyfriend, helpin ya and whatnot. Totally screwed up though, ‘aven’t I?”

“Wait. Karen told you that?” He nodded.

“Since when you and her have been talking? I thought you just said hi to each other.”

“We did, yeah. Was as surprised as yer when she spoke to me that day.” Nodding, y/n processed the information Alfie just provided her with. Karen. Of course it was her fault. Saying all that nonsense only to sink her claws in him when they broke up. Of course. How could she hadn’t thought about it? It was obvious.

“I should have known.” Y/n snickered with mirth shaking her head. Everything was falling into place and it all made sense now. Karen had used Alfie’s jealousy to drive them apart. And she had so foolishly let her. God, what a bitch. But Alfie’s was only more confused by her snicker.

“Why did you listen to her, Alfie?” She then addressed him.

“Well, she meant good didn’t she?” Oh, Alfie…

“Karen? Please, Alfie, she’s a bitch. And she has set her eyes on you since the first time I introduced you to everyone.” She explained and was surprised to see his confused expression, guys could be so clueless… “I can’t believe that she had almost got away with this.”

“Wait- so she’s not your friend?”

“Of course not Alfie! Have you never noticed how none of the girls actually spend time with her? ‘Cause she’s a back-stabbing, two-faced witch. It’s not the first time she does something like this.” The more she thought about it, the angrier y/n became. She had half a mind to go back inside and gave Karen a piece of her mind.

“Fuck.” But she and Alfie weren’t done.

“So, you’re telling me that this all happened because of a bitch that manoeuvred you like a puppet with your jealousy?” Y/n was trying to figure this situation out. This new change of events left her at a crossroad. Could she really be that mad at Alfie for being completely clueless that she would stay broken up?

“Well, if ya put it like that…” he started but she interrupted him with a gesture of her hand.

“Don’t you trust me, Alfie?”

“I do pet, I do. It’s just- you gotta understand that sometimes, yeah, I say things I don’t really mean or act on instinct because I’m a fuckin beast, ain’t I?” His complete honesty and just the way he gesticulated when he spoke made y/n snort. She tried to cover the sound given that the situation wasn’t exactly comical however her attempt totally failed when she saw Alfie insecure smile. She had missed him so much.

A noise coming from the pub doors caught her attention and she noticed that it was Karen that was coming out. No doubt to check on Alfie. A primal urge came over her to assert her name on him. As if to send a huge middle finger to her who wanted to take what was hers. For once in her life, y/n made a split-second decision. In front of her there was Alfie, the guy she was in love with and here she was coming, someone who wanted to take him away. She couldn’t let that happen. She won’t go down without a fight. She had already made things too easy for her. Enough.

Without further thinking about it, she closed the space that kept them apart and kissed him after taking his face in her hands. Feeling his lips on hers after so long felt amazing, she wasn’t sure how she could describe it. Maybe like when you taste chocolate again after months of being on a strict diet.

The kiss made them both remember what they had been missing on, this past week. Not that they weren’t already aware of that but sometimes the routine could make you take things for granted. Before that day at the beach, y/n didn’t realize how much she mindlessly counted on their kisses. As a greeting, as a way to say thank you, as a way to initiate something more. It was natural, almost obvious. Until it wasn’t there anymore and it felt like she had lost an arm.

As the initial shock left Alfie’s body, the kiss grew more desperate for both of them. His hands immediately went to her body, holding her close, afraid that if he let her go she would fade away. Their hands caressed and gripped even when the kiss came to a natural end. Even then, they didn’t pull apart. Their lips brushed again each other as they breathed heavily, their foreheads and noses touching. They had been apart for too long that now they couldn’t physically allow the other to be even one foot away from them.

And just like that, Karen was pushed out of their minds. There was only their other half in this moment. It was a matter of priorities. Their breath settled down and they found that neither of them could stop smiling.

“So,” Alfie started quietly clearing his voice, “this means we’re good?”

“So you were really saying the truth all those times you said you didn’t mind them?” Maybe it was stupid but she asked just to be sure. He knew what she was referring to.

“I never cared for ‘em, love.” He promised, gently rubbing their noses together making her smile. Having received the answer she needed, she nodded to reply to his previous question.

“Say it. I need to hear you say it.” He insisted.

“I’m afraid you’re stuck with me, mate.” And she complied. Grinning like a fool, Alfie couldn’t restrain himself anymore. He attacked her lips like a famished man. He just wanted to get lost in her. They had to make up for the lost time after all.

#alfie solomons #alfie #alfie solomons imagine #alfie solomons imagines #alfie solomons angst #alfie solomons x reader #peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders x reader #tom hardy #tom hardy imagine #tom hardy x reader

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suckmysupernatural · 4 years

Text

Sunshine - Chapter 1

Series Masterlist

Word Count: 2226

Pairing: Sam x OC Sunny

Series Summary: The Winchesters meet a cheerful hunter named Sunny, who quickly captures Sam’s attention. Little do any of them know what lies in store when Sunny gets invited to join the brothers. Who can say how Sam, Dean, and Sunny will be some training days, a handful of hunts, romantic dates, a kidnapping, and one vengeful demon later.

Chapter Summary: Sam and Dean meet an upbeat hunter with incredible skills

Warnings: show-level violence, language

A/N: I’m so excited to finally be sharing this series with you guys! 2 1/2 months of writing and it is seeing the light of day. A big thank you to @emptycanvasposts for beta-ing and helping to correct my many, many grammar mistakes. Also thank you to @erin-fox-winchester for hyping me up and giving me amazing notes that made this series so much better.

A/N 2: I’m now doing a forever tag list!!! Send a message, ask, reblog, or reply and I’ll add you <3

------------------------------------

The sleek black Impala raced down the road towards Norfolk, Virginia. Sam and Dean had been alerted of a vampire nest in the city, so they decided to make the long drive from Lebanon. Sam was passed out in the back seat as Dean rocked out to classic rock music to stay awake. They had been on the road for a total of 20 hours, stopping once at a motel for sleep. Dean looked down at his phone, checking the directions; he nodded to himself, satisfied with the results.

Ozzy Osborne’s “Crazy Train” suddenly blared from the speakers, Dean turning up the volume to wake up his brother. This was Dean’s version of an alarm clock, and boy was it alarming. Sam jolted upright, looking for the source of the sound. After realizing it was just his brother, he brought his hands up to his eyes in an attempt to rub away the grogginess Sam felt.

“One hour out, man. You hungry?” Dean asked over his shoulder, chuckling at the brother’s reaction to the noise. Sam awkwardly climbed into the front passenger seat, his legs getting caught under him and almost causing him to tumble face-first into the dash. Dean bit back another laugh upon seeing the taller brother’s struggle, only to be met with a glare.

“Yeah, I could use some food,” Sam responded as he tried to suppress a yawn. The two brothers continued their journey in relative silence, nodding their heads along to the music. Before they knew it, they were passing a sign welcoming them to Norfolk. As soon as a diner was in their sights, Dean pulled into the parking lot. The brothers went in to eat, taking their time as they knew that the vampires wouldn’t be a problem until nighttime.

“So, I was looking for a place the nest might be. There is an abandoned house on the south side of town. All of the victims were within a ten-mile radius of it. I’m thinking this one is open and shut. We can head there tonight and take ‘em out. Thoughts?” Sam offered up his research to Dean as they settled down in a booth. Dean looked over the map that Sam had marked up with the locations where each victim went missing and was found. It all seemed to point to the old house. Nodding, Dean agreed. It was nice when they didn’t need to go searching.

They made the plan to set out for the abandoned house just before sunset, letting themselves relax as they ate their meals.

----------------------------------------------------------

The sun had just set as the brothers approached the house. As soon as they saw the multiple cars parked out in front, they knew they were in the right place. No one had owned the home in years, and usually squatters didn’t drive BMWs.

The two men could hear the commotion from inside as soon as they reached the porch steps. They held their machetes up, prepared for whatever was going to happen. Or at least, they thought they were ready for anything. The front door swung open, revealing a vampire attempting to run from the house. Before either brother could make a move, the monster’s head was swiped clean off. The body dropped, revealing a woman that had both brothers in shock.

She had a machete in hand, but other than that, her appearance didn’t line up with the classic hunter look. She had on bootie heels that added an extra couple inches to her height, although she was still a lot shorter than both of the brothers. Her jeans were tight and she wore a loose floral shirt that flowed as she moved. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, out of her face but still stylish. The strangest of all was the smile that grew on her face as she saw the brothers.

“Oh, hi! You guys must be hunters,” she said to them cheerily, her eyes looking down at the machetes in their hands. Dean wore a confused face, not used to cheery people, especially cheery hunters. Sam, on the other hand, was transfixed by the woman that stood before him. She was beautiful, and that smile, god that smile. It was so perfect that he was surprised that it didn’t twinkle like in cheesy cartoons.

“Um… yeah,” Dean said, realizing Sam was not going to say anything. “I thought there were like 6 or 7 vamps in this nest. The number of deaths…”

“Oh, yeah,” she nodded simply, “it was six. So, do you two have names to match those handsome faces?”

Sam opened his mouth to respond when he saw movement behind her. Both brothers were about to warn her of the threat but she gave them a quick wink before twisting. She moved fluidly, slicing perfectly through the remaining vampire’s neck.

“Make that seven. Anyways, names?” she asked again while wiping her machete off on the now-deceased vampire’s jeans. She started walking towards them; her demeanor still bright. The brothers both looked at her in shock.

“Um… I’m Dean, and this is my brother Sam. Do you mean to say that you just took out seven vamps all by yourself?”

“Well, nice to meet you, Dean, Sam, and yes I did,” she responded, offering her hand to shake. “The name’s Sunny.”

“Sunny?” Dean asked, his eyebrow raised as he shook the woman’s hand. It fit perfectly with her upbeat attitude. It was almost hard to believe that this woman was real.

“Yeah, it’s a nickname. My friends started calling me Sunshine, you know, cause I’m so positive. It didn’t take long for it to become shortened to Sunny. It’s what everyone calls me,” Sunny flashes another smile to the brothers. Sam clears his throat, finally speaking.

“So - um - Sunny, wanna go grab a drink with us?” he asked, trying not to make it sound like he was trying to pick her up. Even though that was definitely what he was trying to do. He was drawn to Sunny and didn’t want to say goodbye just yet. Dean looked over to his brother and poorly attempted to suppress a grin. It was rare to see Sam so flustered over a woman. Hell, he didn’t even know how long it had been since his brother had a date.

“Sure, sounds great! I’ll follow you guys,” she smiled. The three hunters walked back in the direction of the Impala. It wasn’t until they passed a cluster of trees that Sunny started to break off from them. Behind the foliage was a bubblegum pink car that seemed to match the woman’s personality perfectly.

“Holy shit is that -” Dean’s eyes were wide.

“A 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood? Just like the one Elvis had? Yes, it is,” Sunny smiled with pride. The car was her most valued possession and she loved to see people’s reactions to it. Turning from the brothers, she climbed in and started the engine. Dean bit back a moan at the sound, looking over to his brother.

“Marry her, Sammy. Just fucking marry her,” Dean said, his tone serious. Sam rolled his eyes as he started to walk towards the Impala. It didn’t take long for the brothers to get in and pull onto the road. This time, however, Sam couldn’t keep his eyes off of the side mirror, the pink car following not far behind them.

Soon they pulled into the bar’s parking lot. Sam had found one on his phone, giving Dean directions. It was nicer than their usual stops, not some roadside biker bar. He had a feeling that wasn’t Sunny’s scene. The Cadillac pulled up into the spot right next to the Impala, Sunny climbing out and gently closing the door. The three of them walked into the joint and were immediately met with the smell of booze. It was a familiar scent for them, the hunting life and alcohol went hand in hand. Dean made a beeline to the bar, leaving Sam behind with Sunny.

“What can I get you?” Sam asked her. She flashed him one of those heart-stopping smiles before responding.

“I’ll have an Old Fashioned,” she said. Sam nodded, leaving her to join his brother. Sunny found an empty table and sat. It didn’t take long for the brothers to return, Sam with her drink and a beer in his hands and Dean with a whiskey neat. Sam hands Sunny her glass as Dean speaks up.

“I’m surprised, didn’t take you as an Old Fashioned gal,” Dean points out. He had thought she would have gotten a sugary drink that requires a tiny umbrella.

“Just because I’m feminine doesn’t mean I can’t handle my alcohol. I am a hunter after all,” Sunny laughed, bringing the glass to her lips. She wasn’t surprised by his question as it was one that most men tried to use as a pick-up line when she went to bars alone. “And I think it's a bit obvious by now, but I’m full of surprises.” She winked, causing Sam to almost choke on his beer. Sunny was definitely something else.

The three hunters all nursed their drinks until Sam asked the question that both men had been wondering since they met her.

“Okay, so how did you do that back there? Take out that many fangs? And that one that came up from behind you?” Sam blurted out. If it had been either of the brothers, they would’ve been outnumbered and blindsided. The vampire had moved silently, not doing anything to reveal its whereabouts.

“Oh, that. I felt the air shift,” she said like the answer was obvious, taking a sip.

“Wait, what?” Sam asked as both brothers looked at her, completely confused.

“So you know how we always have to be aware of our surroundings? Always on high alert? Well, I’ve managed to hone that in, taking the nerves out of the equation. I am fully aware of every part of my body, every sense. Sure, the vamp might’ve been completely silent, but as he moved near me the air was softly pushed in my direction. I could feel it on the back of my neck, so I knew he was right behind me.” Both brothers absorbed the information, surprised by the woman that sat across from them.

“So, you’re just a human?” Dean asked bluntly. It was hard for him to believe she didn’t have secret powers. The question made her throw her head back in laughter.

“Yes, Dean, I am 100% human. I just don’t do things like most hunters,” she shrugged. Sam was in awe of her. She had such calming energy to her, he never wanted to leave her presence.

“Can you teach it? Your technique?” Sam asked, leaning forward slightly.

“Honestly? I’ve never tried it. I rarely meet other hunters and most of them are men who assume I’m afraid to chip a nail. If they want to underestimate me, that’s fine. I just let them take over and move on. There are plenty of monsters out there,” she said. It was surprising to hear, as she was obviously a fantastic hunter. Dean and Sam had barely seen her in action but they knew it to be true. To think that others thought she was just a pretty face was frustrating to Sam.

Sam looked over to Dean and Sunny quickly noticed that they seemed to be having a conversation with just their eyes. They were brothers, so this wasn’t surprising. It was something she used to do with her sister. It only took a couple of seconds before they both looked back at her.

“Why don’t you come back with Dean and me to our bunker? We would like to learn from you if that’s alright. You’d have a room to stay in and everything. That is if you want.” Sam was trying to not to keep his hopes up. There was no reason for this woman to follow two strangers and agree to train them. Looking into her eyes, he knew that he could get lost in them. She took a minute to think it over, taking a sip of her drink.

“You know what? Why not? It’s not every day you get such an interesting offer. I can’t even remember the last time I worked with anyone,” Sunny accepted.

“Wait, you are just going to come with two guys you barely know?” Dean asked in disbelief.

“Well, I’m pretty sure you both know that I could kick your asses in a heartbeat,” she stated simply. Both brothers exchanged a look. She was probably right. This decision seemed like the right one for Sunny. She usually didn’t trust male hunters, expecting them to be sexist assholes. These two were different, though. Dean seemed impressed by her skills, shocked only that she was human. He didn’t seem to care that she was a woman.

Sam was something else entirely. She could tell that he genuinely was curious about how she worked. There was something about him that made her trust him. Maybe it was the kindness in his eyes or the way that he spoke to her like she had some sort of wisdom to impart. Whatever it may be, she had a feeling that the two of them were going to get along well.

It also didn’t hurt that he was quite handsome.

Chapter 2 ->

24 notes · View notes

petork · 3 years

Note

-105 please

NB i am told this was meant to say 1-50

thanks queen <3 here we go

1. Who is your favourite ghost?

lately? it's been kitty. and i'm contractually obligated to love the captain

2. If you could see the ghosts like Alison, which one do you think would come the closest to making you want to leave the house?

the obvious answer is julian but probably actually robin, i HATE being spooked (as the asker can attest xx)

3. How would you feel if you couldn’t see the ghosts, but knew they were there, like Mike?

i'd feel mad jealous even though i'd actually have it pretty good. the other person would be trying so hard to tell me how much it sucks and i'd just be like 'but... goast.....'

4. Would you want to see ghosts like Alison, or would you rather be ignorant to their goings and doings?

again my immediate answer is I WANNA SEE THEM but i also know that might suck in many ways. at least for a while. i am not a patient person so i don't know if i could learn to live with them like alison could. but on the other hand... the chance to actually talk to people from the fucking actual past... thinking emoji!

5. If you were a ghost living in the house, would you rather be upstairs with the main nine ghosts, or downstairs with the plague ghosts?

upstairs for sure, sorry to the plague ghosts but i do not want to hang out in a basement for eternity

6. If you were someone who died in the house would you rather be “sucked off” immediately, or would you like to hang around a bit and get to know some of the other ghosts before getting “sucked off”?

i would probably just end up staying forever because i'm scared of the void of death.... <3

7. Which ghost would you miss the most if they were “sucked off” in the next series?

UNBELIEVABLE question? i'd miss ALL OF THEM. but see question 1 also

8. Which ghost do you think you’d get along with the best?

it's hard to say. i think they would all get on my nerves because as said i am not very patient. but the one who would irritate me LEAST... maybe pat?

9. Which ghost would you say you’re most like?

captain. not to be a cliche but i'm gay and repressed. and also irritable and grumpy

10. Which ghost would you say you’re least like?

JULIAN

11. What is a (popular or not) fan theory that you love?

(pasted from prev answer) i don’t actually like ship it because he’s definitely older than her, but a couple of people have said kitty sometimes acts like she has a crush on thomas. which is cute to me even if she does need to get better taste (love u kitty xxx)

12. What is a (popular or not) fan theory that you don’t quite agree with?

(pasted from prev answer) not so much a specific theory but i disagree with the general idea that anything of consequence went on with the captain and havers. i think it was meant to come across as just a snippet of the captain’s poor sad gay life and, as several brain geniuses have pointed out, due to the timing of germany invading france + the captain’s medals the flashback must have been from a good few years BEFORE he died. and i think the flashback was the last time they ever saw each other, so i don’t think that a) havers has any link to the captain’s eventual death or 2) anything romantic ever happened between them

13. Favourite ship and why?

captain x my cute oc boyfriend because i've tailored it to my exact needs. why ship retail when you can ship bespoke?

14. Least favourite ship and why? (Please be nice though!)

patcap as we all know. like YES i'm a contrary bitch so i don't like things that are popular and i do think i'm better than everyone else... but really idk why exactly i just don't gel with it at all. and when i've tried to read fic in the past it feels to me like their characters are kind of flattened. and i think the captain is too much of a bitch. and i think pat is serving us normie heterosexual. it's the 'cinnamon roll' ship of this fandom and i can't STAND (metaphorical) cinnamon rolls. AND ALSO pat is not the simple soft dad cinnamon roll fandom often makes him out to be! like he is a very nice person but he's also fucked up and insane like all of them. anyway my brain charges extremely low rents

15. If you could go back in time and live in the house/on the property at the same time as one of the ghosts when they were alive, who would you pick?

captain. need to know wtf's going on with him

16. Would you rather inherit the house (and its ghostly inhabitants), or just visit?

realistically... visit. i think i would lose my mind eventually if i lived there

17. Do you think we’ll ever know how every ghost died? Do you think there will be anyone whose death we’ll never learn about?

i hope we do, but i also appreciate that isn't the sole point of the series, otherwise it would be kinda boring and discovering how they died wouldn't be as impactful. if there's anyone's death we don't find out about, i think it would probably be robin? lol what if it was so long ago he just forgot

18. What is your favourite Ghosts fanfiction?

so i'm stupid and i never use bookmarks on ao3..... i've read a LOT of different fics i like but do you think i can revisit them? no! because i'm stupid! so i cannot fairly pick an absolute fave sorry

19. What is your favourite Ghosts fan art?

THIS <3

all the babies and children on here talk about horrible histories the show being 'their childhood'........ put some respect on terry deary's name. and this artist did!

20. Tag 5 favourite Ghosts fandom content creators!

honestly i'm not good with like. knowing people. but here are 5 fanfics i've enjoyed (based on the author's replies in my inbox because, again, i am too stupid to use bookmarks)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28287567

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29868645

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28653192

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28067277/chapters/68761830

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26957662/chapters/65795407

21. Are there any historical periods you wish we’d have gotten to see a ghost/ghosts from but didn’t?

(pasted from other post) not to be predictable but i would have liked to see a 1960s ghost. like a mod who crashed his scooter or something. we have enough 20th century ghosts though but i believe the us remake has some kind of hippie ghost…

22. What is something you’re hoping to see in a future series?

flashback to the captain getting some. like implied or whatever. i can't cope with him dying a virgin. he needs this

23. What is something you’re hoping to see in a future series, but know we probably WON’T get to see?

(pasted from other post) alison meets someone else who can see ghosts, and we get to see the ghosts at THEIR house…. i always love it when we see extra ghosts but i know they probably won’t make any recurring because it would come off as running out of ideas. but i still think they should add a 90s teenager named roy

24. Which lesser-seen characters would you like to see more of in future series?

tbh there's none i can think of that i think we should SEE more of, they get a pretty good balance. there are some i definitely want to learn more about though

25. Are there any characters you wish we’d see less?

don't make me pick a least favourite child </3 but also i think thomas could probably tone it down a bit.

26. Favourite one-liner?

I'LL WAIT FOR YOU, MY COMELY NUG - me whenever i order chicken nuggets on just eat

27. Favourite episode?

DON'T EVEN... i like 2x06 and 3x05 a lot

28. Top 5 headcanons for [insert character name here]?

i'm going to do the captain because obviously i am

- he may or may not have been lavender married

- he may or may not have had a drinking problem

- public schoolboy with domineering father, clearly

- IF he had a lavender wife then she spent all her time in the company of her 'odd' female friend who wore men's clothes, smoked cigars and drove a motorbike. the captain was obviously clueless

that's 4 so a cheeky one for fanny:

- she did a lot of medicinal coke

29. Whose costume is your favourite?

kitty. gotta love an ott ballgown

30. Whose costume is your least favourite?

that's an offtopic question. you have been stopped.

31. If you could do a complete redesign of one of the ghosts’ costumes, whose would you change and how?

i would give thomas his double denim

32. If you could play any of the existing ghosts, which one would you want to play and why?

i think i'd be good at playing mary. meek weird girl who says things that don't make any sense? omg she is LITERALLY me

33. Which ghost would you least like to play and why?

julian, i'm not getting my pussy out

34. What one thing would you miss most if you became a ghost and had to live by the same rules as the Button House ghosts?

FOOD. food. eating and food.

35. How do you think one or more of the ghosts whose deaths we haven’t seen died? Or, if we know the cause of death but not the reason for the death (like Mary being burned as a witch or Humphrey being beheaded), why do you think they were killed?

i think mary's execution might have had something to do with her husband's death and her being unfairly accused or something. also like, she just acts kinda weird, and we know how that often played out for women back then...

and i think the captain died in some really boring mundane natural causes way (congenital heart attack or something) but he's stuck around because a) he's never come to terms with the whole h*mo thing and 2) he was just really mad that he died so boringly

36. Favourite [insert character name here] moment?

CAPTAIN GETTING KITTY TO SMILE

37. What do you think [insert character name here] was like when they were alive? Do you think they were exactly the same as they are now, or do you think there were any major or minor differences?

ok i'll do fanny for this one. i think she was less domineering when she was alive, in death she clearly thinks of herself as above the other ghosts and bosses them around, and when she talks shit about george it's not like he can get back at her in any way. but it would be interesting to see how they interacted when both were alive

38. It’s your turn to pick a movie for film club! What are you watching?

(from prev post) i haven’t seen any movies errr….. maybe austin powers because it’s so sad that julian died just a few years before it came out because he would love it and get really annoying about quoting it all the time and it would be really funny for the captain (who thought the movie was unironic) to have to deal with that. and fanny would NOT COPE.

39. Would you rather share a room with Thomas (constantly sighing and reciting bad poetry) or Fanny (falls out of the window screaming every night)?

fanny. men be quiet challenge

40. If you could do some kind of historical swap (i.e. place a ghost in a different period from their own), who would you choose and what period are they from now?

i would like to give kitty the chance to be a 20th or 21st century girl. maybe an era like the 60s or 80s that was known for daring fashions, i think she would luv it

41. Let’s settle this once and for all. Who’s the real leader, the Captain or Pat?

fanny

42. If the ghosts could eat, what is one food you would like to share with them that they might not have tried before?

doritos tangy cheese, mountain dew baja blast, 4loko. i would make thomas try a jalapeno. i would also make them try my cooking experiments because i do that to anyone i live with

43. You’ve heard rumours of a tenth upstairs ghost who doesn’t often venture out of their room to visit with the other residents of the house. Who are they? (i.e. make up a ghost OC. I know i’m putting you on the spot. I just want to see what you come up with.)

it's george button and his bitch ass is too scared of his wife to come down. his downfall comes when he finds out there's another gay ghost and simply has to clap them cheeks (he fails)

44. Tell me a song you think [insert character name here] would like, or a song that reminds you of them!

i think alison's probably already introduced him to them but thomas + anything by the smiths. i would also make the captain sit quietly and listen to a tracy chapman cd (for my lover...)

45. What song(s) do you think would annoy certain ghosts the most?

the smiths would annoy everyone except thomas. literally they'd all be trying to re-kill him

46. Who is one actor you’d love to see guest star? What kind of character would you like to see them play?

steve coogan as like. anyone. preferably a ghost. a roman centurion ghost if you wanna get cultural. but seriously i just want alan

47. If you could have one Horrible Histories song in Ghosts (either sung by a ghost/ghosts, or playing on the TV or computer for them to watch), which one would you want it to be and why?

that song about how no 'british' stuff is actually british. like tea. i want julian to melt down

48. What do you think the ghosts’ jobs would be in a modern living-human AU where they’re all just chaotic housemates?

captain & kitty: have their own wedding planning company

julian: still a politician but instead of an mp he's like a parish councillor. handforth antics

fanny: headteacher

robin: cool off the shits teacher at same school who undermines fanny wherever possible. deals weed to students

mary: runs a shop selling like healing crystals and incense and dreamcatchers

humphrey: customer service supervisor who actually likes his job because he takes no shit and just fucks with every single customer

thomas: unemployed podcaster

pat: dogwalker

49. What is one modern invention you think [insert character name here] would be surprised or confused by?

fanny would be so baffled by any Feminine Products. when she discovers tampons it's all she can talk about for a week. the mooncup made her go into a coma

50. Name an AU you haven’t seen someone create content for, but which you’d love to read a fic or see some art for.

not to be the way i am but i'd love if anyone ever drew art or something about my au which is a modern-day au where fanny and captain are alison and kitty's divorced parents, julian and robin are captain's brothers and alison's wack uncles, mary is their childhood nanny, thomas is a student lodger at button house, humphrey is a cat and pat is just some guy. but yeah in the past i've had a couple of anons on here mention it and i did melt into a puddle... i think if someone did art i'd explode and die. in a good way like

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kaitycole · 4 years

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What The Heart Wanted

Summary: Riley learns more about Jackson’s feelings for Eleanor.

Word Count: 3098

Pairings: Drake x Riley, Jackson x Bianca, Constantine x Eleanor

Rating: A small amount of NSFW and some cussing

Part 7 of WP. To catch up read here.

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @bobasheebaby @bascmve01 @burnsoslow @the-everlasting-dream @ao719 @sirbeepsalot @janezillow @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @kimmiedoo5 @choices97 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @lodberg @edgiestwinter @marshmallowsandfire

“You developed feelings for Queen Eleanor!?! I wasn’t expecting that either!” Riley exclaims.

He chuckles, “Not just feelings, I fell in love with her.”

Riley’s jaw drops as Jackson continues the story.

Jackson skips the next couple of Friday meet ups with Queen Eleanor. He was ashamed of his reaction on the intimate evening between the royal couple. It was his job to protect them, to guard them with his life against any harm, it wasn’t his job to get jealous.

He wasn’t sure why he had even gotten jealous in the first place. He was married. She was married. He loves his wife and knows that Eleanor loves Constantine. At least he thinks so, right? Sure, he and Bianca didn’t have the ideal relationship or had even met in the best way, but he was still happy, wasn’t he? And yes, the queen had been upset with the king, but what couple is always perfectly happy with each other?

For the first time in years, Jackson has taken a night off. He’s sitting on the pier on the lake by his cabin. The one place where he can relax, especially at this late hour. A rustling noise causes him to reach for his hip where his weapon sits.

“It’s just me, it’s Timothy!” His fellow guard exclaims, causing Jackson to relax.

“Timothy? Shouldn’t you be watching the palace?”

He sighs, “I would love to, but she pulled rank on me.”

Jackson tilts his head, thinking, ‘we don’t have a female guard?’ His question is answered when another figure immerses, taking off her hood, revealing her identity.

“Ele…Queen Eleanor?” Quickly, he bows, “What are you doing out of the palace at this hour?”

“Timothy, I can find my way back to the palace, thank you.”

“But…”

“I’ll make sure the queen returns to the palace safely,” Jackson promises, Timothy taking the hint and heading back.

“You haven’t been to the study in a few weeks, so I figured I’d give you no excuse not to see me.”

“I’ve been swamped with work.”

“How dare you stand there and lie to your queen,” she playfully uses her queenly tone.

“I…I…”

“Guards gossip to maids and maids gossip to ladies in waiting who gossip to me,” she winks.

“So, my guards are gossiping about my work schedule?”

“More so about the anger you showed two weeks ago,” she doesn’t want to elaborate, “when the guards were sent away from the royal wing.”

Jackson stays silent, trying not to give himself away.

“I heard that you came up there to ask the king why he sent them away.” She trails off, feeling ashamed.

“I just can’t demand respect from the younger guards, if the king is going over my head to give demands without my knowledge. I look incompetent.”

“Is that why you stormed out of the guard’s meeting to?”

Jackson snaps his head around to look at her, unsure of how she even knew that, “How?”

“I’m the queen, it’s my job to know everything that happens, especially in the king’s office.”

Her facial expression causes his guard to finally drop, “I just can’t stand the way he spoke about you. It’s disrespectful and uncalled for.”

The two are now sitting on the edge of the pier, the ends of Queen Eleanor’s dress touching the water. He looks over at her, the moonlight dancing across her face, adding a soft glow to her gentle features.

“I appreciate your concern for my reputation,” she smirks.

“It’s my job to protect you, Queen Eleanor.”

“Then you’ve definitely been slacking, sir.”

“Excuse me?”

“You stood me up for two weeks! What if I had been hurt while waiting in the study? No one knew where I was.”

Jackson feels terrible, he had never thought about that. To be fair, he has only been thinking about himself and his feelings.

“My queen,” he grabs her hands not thinking, “Please forgive me.”

The darkness around them prevents the blush that covers her face to be seen by Jackson, “Always.”

The two then begin to catch up on the last two weeks. Both taking turns laughing and joking around with each other.

“You don’t have to always address me as Queen, you know? Eleanor works just fine.”

“I would hate to slip in front of other, like I almost did with Timothy.”

“You wouldn’t even want to call me Ellie?”

Jackson’s face goes completely blank, if it wasn’t obvious before, he knew that now she had to have picked up on his feelings for her. What guy would get jealous like that if he didn’t have some type of feelings. He gives her a knowing look, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles.

“I had to, I’m sorry.” She puts on her best pouty face.

“I’m glad you find humor in my pain.”

She places a hand on his cheek, “Don’t for a moment think this pain isn’t shared.”

This time the two just sit in silence, looking over the water, the moon and sun beginning to start the switch from night to day. Jackson watches Eleanor let out a small yawn.

“I think it’s time I get you back to the palace.”

----

“Oh. My. God.” Riley says, “She had feelings for you too!?!?”

Jackson smiles.

“But what about Bianca? King Constantine?”

The smile disappeared, “Before I continue, I want to add that I’m not completely proud of how the following events unfolded and my actions.”

“I didn’t come here thinking you were the best man on the earth, trust me, we all make mistakes and do things we aren’t proud of.”

----

Jackson and Eleanor have been meeting up for months now. Every Friday unless there’s an obligation neither can miss, but thankfully for Eleanor she controls most of her schedule. During the rest of the week, the two would exchange looks and smiles, both surprised no one had picked up on it.

“Jackson, sir, Queen Eleanor request your presence in the Queen’s study.” The maid says before returning to her duties.

He walks down the hall, she has never asked for him to go to her study, he always assumed it was off-limits to help keep any rumors from forming.

“Come in,” she says softly after he knocks. She’s sitting at her desk, thumbing through a charity proposal. Each year the queen allows various charities to submit paperwork and she will pick one to support for that year. Well, the idea was one, but Eleanor could never just pick one.

“You look adorable in glasses.”

Her head snaps up, catching his eye before turning bright pink. She had forgotten she was wearing them, mainly because Constantine demanded she wear contacts in the public eye. Which is pretty much everywhere in his eyes.

“Picking my yearly charity,” she smiles.

“Which seven have you decided on?” He teases.

“I do not pick that many!” She says defensively.

It’s a sudden bang at the door that pulls the two of them back to reality.

“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty, but next week’s diplomatic ball has been moved up by a day so we need you for your dress fitting now.” Her assistant buzzes.

“Oh. Of course,” She stands up, closing the proposals on her desk, “Jackson, would you mind escorting me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” He bows as she passes him. The walk to the Queen’s Quarter is filled with her assistant rambling the hundred and one things Eleanor needs to do this week alone. Jackson doesn’t know how she does it, but Eleanor takes everything in stride.

“Jackson, do stay, we didn’t get a chance to speak yet.”

“During your dress fitting?” He gulps, he has never stepped foot in the Queen’s Quarters before let alone been present during her undressing.

“You won’t see anything. She’ll change behind that screen,” the assistant points, “and you’ll just see the seamstress pin fabric. Harmless.”

Minutes go by before Eleanor reappears in her dress for the diplomatic dinner tomorrow. Jackson has to clench his teeth to prevent his jaw from hitting the floor.

The dress is an off the shoulder style that has a small plunging neckline that tastefully shows cleavage. It’s tight against her sides but flares out at the bottom. It’s similar to a trumpet style at the bottom but it’s not as tight. The lavender fabric complements her fair skin.

“Is it too much?” She says towards Jackson.

Jackson swallows hard, “Not at all.” His face turning red, knowing his eyes keep darting to her cleavage.

“I still wish you had gone with a Cordonian house color, Your Majesty. The King is going to have a fit.” Her assistant complains.

“I always wear Cordonian colors. I’d like wear my home country’s colors every now and then.”

The seamstress finishes pinning the fabric that still needs to be adjusted before she instructs the queen to change.

“Oh!” Eleanor squeals, “Can I have some help, please?”

Jackson glances around, “Uh, they both stepped out of the room.”

“Then I need you.” The silence is enough to tell her his thoughts, “It’s fine, Jackson. The zipper is just stuck.”

He waits a little bit, hoping someone will return before stepping behind the screen with her.

“It just needs a quick tug to unstick. I hope.” She giggles, turning around.

His hands tremble as he reaches up to start pulling on the zipper. His knuckles gently brush up against the exposed skin of her upper back. Once he gets the zipper to move, he slowly slides it down the track.

Eleanor goes to turn around but trips over the extra fabric on the floor, causing herself to fall backwards into Jackson. She freezes, her back against his chest, his hands protectively on her shoulders.

Without thinking, he runs his fingertips across her exposed skin. Her fair skin is soft and with her that close, he realizes she smells like honey with a light vanilla after thought. She turns around, facing him, keeping the closeness.

Her baby blue eyes look up into his, the light golden brown now a dark brown. His hand finds its way to her cheek, cupping it, his thumb caressing her soft skin. He leans closer, their lips almost touching before he feels her pull him into her, pressing her lips into his.

The kiss is gentle, both scared that if they give in too much, the moment with fade too quickly. Eleanor wraps her arms around his neck and Jackson’s fall to her waist. The kiss lasts for several moments before they pull apart, breathlessly. His lips leave hers, but they begin to pepper kisses across her jaw, down her neck and across her shoulder. A small, almost silent moan escapes her, causing a grin to appear of Jackson’s face.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Her assistant calls, breaking the two from the moment. Frantically, Eleanor tries to add distance between them, slipping once again on the extra fabric, this time falling. Jackson begins helping her up, when Eleanor freezes, her assistant looking at them confused.

“I tripped trying to step out of my gown.”

Quickly the assistant springs into action, taking her jacket and covering the Queen’s chest. Clearly neither Eleanor nor Jackson realized her breasts had fallen out of the unzipped dress when she fell.

Jackson excuses himself once Eleanor was back into her day clothes and the assistant had begun to list more things for her to do. He tries to walk as quick as he can, but the erection in his pants makes it difficult. Before long, he’s back at the cabin.

“Jackson? You’re home early.” Bianca says, smiling. Jackson hardly ever come home early on Fridays.

“Where are the kids?”

“Drake is at the stables with Liam and Savannah is napping.”

He pulls his wife into him, crashing his lips into hers. The kiss is rough, nothing like the one he just shared with Eleanor. He pushes him tongue between her lips, causing her to moan. Bianca is surprised at her husband’s actions, the two hadn’t been passionate in a long time. His long hours at work was to blame for most of it, but she wasn’t going to bring that up now.

She wraps her arms around him, pulling him closer as his lips kiss down her neck.

“Oh, Jack!” Bianca moans in his ear before Jackson pulls away.

He clears his throat, backing away, “I need to shower.”

“What’s wrong?” Just moments ago, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her.

“Nothing, I just want to take a hot shower.” He quickly kisses her forehead before heading into their bedroom.

What was wrong with him? He is married, he loves his wife, yet here he was having improper thoughts about the Queen. Even with his wife’s arms around him and moans in his ear, he still couldn’t tear his mind away from Eleanor.

The hot water runs down his shoulders and he tried to relax, but he couldn’t get the thought of the kiss he shared with Eleanor just an hour ago. His body wasn’t gonna let him forget it either. He took his erection into his hand and slid it up and down, letting out a groan. Part of him feels guilty that his wife is just down the hall, but the thoughts of Eleanor slowly overtake his mind.

He closes his eyes, each time he pumps himself in his hand, he imagines hearing Eleanor’s moans, sliding his hands down her sides and across her breasts. Imagining her blonde hair down, spread across the pillows, her back arching as he brought her closer to the edge, wanting to feel her cum on his cock.

----

Jackson stares at Riley who is completely engrossed in his story. She wasn’t sure what exactly would happen when she showed up today, but none of this was it. “Wait? What did Queen Eleanor want to talk to you about?”

----

There’s a rapping of knocks on the cabin’s front door, causing Bianca to quickly race over to the door.

“Oh, Timothy. Is everything okay?”

“Mrs. Walker. I’m sorry to bother you, but I need to speak with Jackson immediately, ma’am.”

“Come in. Come in.” She motions for him to take a seat. She walks back into the master bedroom and flings open the bathroom door, hearing moans coming from the other side.

“What the fuck, Bianca!” Jackson yells, she’s interrupted his ‘self-care’.

She’s taken aback, not understanding her husband’s peculiar behavior today, “Timothy is at the door.”

Pushing pass his wife, he quickly pulls on some sweats and tosses on a white t-shirt. It’s unusual for another guard to come his home, the other night was clearly an exception, but he knows the Queen wouldn’t have left this early in the day.

“Timothy. Is everything okay?”

He nods, “Queen Eleanor requests your presence at next week’s diplomatic ball.”

“I’ll be there anyway Timothy, I’m on duty.”

“No, sir.” He pulls out an envelope, “She wants you to attend as a guest. You and Bianca.”

Jackson opens the envelope, sure enough it’s an official invitation to the event. He isn’t sure what to say, he couldn’t refuse. Not a direct order from the Queen.

“Thank you, Timothy.”

He turns to leave before stopping, lowering his voice, “Be careful, sir. You’re playing with fire.”

“I don’t know what you’re referring to Timothy.”

Bianca walks over to her husband when Timothy leaves, “What’s that Jackson?”

“Oh, uh, we’ve been invited to the diplomatic ball next week.” He hands her the invitation, before heading into the kitchen.

“At the palace?” Her eyes go wide.

“Is that not what the invitation says?”

“What am I supposed to wear? It’s rude to send such things at the last minute.”

“I reckon they expect you to show up in clothing and you should watch how you speak about the actions of the Queen.” He gulps down a glass of lemonade.

“What’s going on with you, Jackson?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re being short and sarcastic, not to mention whatever you were doing in the bathroom.”

Jackson has no energy to argue with Bianca today. Her interruption and Timothy’s visit had left him flustered, not to mention the invitation he’s just received. There had to be a reason why the Queen extended the invitation, it was unheard of for anyone not of nobility to attend. Hopefully Constantine would shine some light on things tomorrow.

“I’m sorry, Bee. I’m just stressed is all.”

She leans her forehead against his chin, tears filling her eyes, “I’m failing you as a wife.”

Jackson’s heart breaks. He’s been preoccupied with his feelings for the Queen that he has failed to keep up his end of their marriage. “You could never do that, it’s me who has failed you.”

He tilts her head upwards, pressing his lips to hers gently, wrapping his arms around her waist. His actions completely opposite of those when he first returned from work. She presses her face into the curve of his neck, her body shaking as she quietly composes herself. He slides his hand down her hair, soothing her as he presses a kiss on the top of her head.

“It’s been forever since you called me by that nickname.” She practically whispers.

He closes his eyes, thinking back to that moment before finally realizing who his heart belongs to.

----

Jackson is interrupted by the sound of Riley’s cellphone going off. It takes him a moment before he recognizes the song that’s playing and he gives her a confused expression. She gives him an apologetic smile before she answers it.

“Hey honey. Yes, I’m okay. No, I didn’t find anything while shopping. I’ll be home soon.” She hangs up and apologizes.

“Far be it from me to give relationship advice, but you shouldn’t lie.”

“I know.” She looks down, “But to be honest, I wasn’t sure who was at this address when I drove here and he was already so upset when he stopped working here.”

Jackson looks at the carpet for a few moments; the both of them just sitting in silence.

“I really should get going, Drake’s getting ready to start dinner.” She walks to the door before stopping, “I’d like to hear the rest of your story. Can I come back? With Drake?”

“Of course, of course.” Jackson rubs the back of his neck, “That song, your ringtone, I didn’t think anyone your age would know it.”

She smiles, “It’s Drake’s favorite, actually.”

He waits until her car is out of sight before heading back into the house. He sits back down in his chair before looking at a picture of him and Eleanor on the table next to him.

“I really wish you here to help, El.” A single tear falls down his cheek before he wipes it away.

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k-writer1998 · 4 years

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Rebel Hours (8/18)

Kwon Jieun always fit her parents’ image of the “perfect” daughter… at least to their knowledge. Away from prying eyes she was like any other girl living life to the fullest doing what she wants. When a little someone named Bang Chan comes into her life priorities are changed, mistakes are made, and her life finally becomes her own.

Fluff

w.c: 2.1k

t.w: mentions of attempted assault (idk if I’m tagging this right, I just don’t want to upset someone who didn’t want to read of such things)

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

My body shot up as my heart raced from the terror. So focused on the nightmare that jolted me from my sleep, it took me a moment to realize the layout of the room was wrong. Once my eyes caught sight of grey bedding I knew for a fact I didn’t own a new wave of panic started to rush my system. Quickly looking around the room in an attempt to reorient myself, it was then I noticed the familiar scent of his faint cologne and caught a sight of silver from my hair. Gently pushing myself up to look over the shelf, the sight of Chan’s sleeping figure on the couch eased whatever worries I had left and my body started to relax again. He must have moved me to his bed when I passed out. I tiptoed to the bathroom, grabbing my phone along the way. Among the many messages, Seunghee’s were the most abundant so I quickly let her know I was fine and with Chan. Not even five minutes later my phone buzzed with a call from my worried best friend.

“Jieun are you okay? What happened?! Why are you with Chan? You literally disappeared last night without saying anything.”

“I’m fine Seunghee, I’m sorry. Stuff just happened with Kyunghoon and I didn’t know what to do. I needed to get away from there and without realizing it I ended up calling Chan,” I whispered.

“What happened with Kyunghoon?”

Venom dripped from her voice. I didn’t want to tell her but I knew she would find out either way. Maybe if she heard from me she wouldn’t immediately try to kill him.

“... He tried to force himself on me…”

My voice was small and I tried to take a calming breath to steady myself but was interrupted when Seunghee started screaming about how she would hurt the boy.

“Seunghee please don’t do anything,” I quickly spit out before adding, “When I get home I’ll explain fully and we can talk about how much you can and cannot hurt him, okay?”

“Jieun he literally tried to attack you. What do you mean I can’t hurt him?!”

“You know what it’s like in our circle. That is a big accusation to make against a CEO’s son, especially a CEO like Kyunghoon’s dad. The only person who would take a hit is me.”

“Fine but I will make him pay. No one is going to do something like that and get away with it, especially to my best friend, not on my watch. When will you be coming home?”

“Whenever Chan wakes up I guess.”

“You know that’s going to be a whole nother conversation right?”

“Yes, I know. See you soon.”

I hung up the phone with a sigh. I love her and her protectiveness but that will be a long conversation when I get home… and once Chan wakes up. I want him to know everything he’s getting into if he dates me. Let’s hope he still wants to after everything I’ve put him through… I gave myself an encouraging look in the mirror before quietly stepping out. Chan had apparently already woken up, looking just as dazed from waking up on the couch as I was waking up in his apartment.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“No, no. It’s fine. How are you feeling?”

“Better than last night, that’s for sure.”

The air grew heavier, neither of us knowing how to approach the situation. I shifted from one foot to another for a moment before I slowly approached the couch and sat at the far end where his feet sat before he moved it to make space. Might as well get it over with…

“I know a lot has happened in the past couple of hours and you’ve probably had questions for awhile now so I owe you an explanation… for everything.”

“Among other things, but yeah let’s start with the explanation.”

He let out a hollow laugh as he tried to rub the exhaustion from his face. I carefully moved closer to Chan and waited until he looked back at me before I continued.

“My full name is Kwon Jieun, congressman Kwon Jaesuk is my dad. His job has me presenting myself in a specific way but that wasn’t me. With the liberties of going away for college, I did the things I’ve always wanted to do but was never allowed to and it made me feel… real.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“My fashion sense with the dyed hair and tattoo doesn’t really scream daughter of an “upright and just politician” but I feel more me this way. Sadly, in his line of work I’m an extension of my dad and as I can’t change my parent, I covered up and continued to live as their golden child.”

“Okay, then why hide it from me? At first, sure it makes sense, but I thought there was more between us then just… whatever you thought was going on apparently…”

The evident pain in his voice stung and I’m reminded I wasn’t the only one who felt the sparks between us. Even more so since I haven’t been clear with my feelings for him and to add I’ve been trying to make this a lot more lighthearted then it actually is. It’s time to be serious cause he deserves that… which also means I have to put everything out on the playing field.

“To be frank this,” I gestured between the both of us, “wasn’t supposed to be more than innocent flirting on that first night yet somehow I still ended up going back… I know things were getting serious between us but that’s also what scared me so instead I ran from you.”

“Why were you scared?”

I hesitated, all the preparing and encouragement I built up flew out the window once I actually had the chance to come clean. The fear of losing him grew and blocked the words in my throat for a moment before being set free at the heartbreak in his voice.

“Jieun, I’m not doing this if there are any more secrets because if those secrets mean you disappearing again… I can’t. I need all the cards on the table.”

“... The reason why I was scared and why I ran was because I don’t want my parents ruining your life. They’ve done it before; almost destroyed my then boyfriend’s chance to get an audition at his dream school. I would hate myself if something of that caliber happened to you.”

“Doesn’t that only happen in dramas? Why would they do that?”

“I wish it stayed in the dramas… They believe I should be with someone of status who has connections because apparently anything less would be soiling my father’s reputation. And don’t ask if I’ve tried to fight it, messing with my ex’s competition was the price I paid for rebelling.”

“Then why did you call me out of everyone you knew? It seems you made up your mind that we weren’t something to fight for...”

“I couldn’t help it. No matter what, you are always the first thought on my mind. When I told you I couldn’t stay away after that first night, I meant it.”

“Then what about the guy you met at the cafe by the university?”

“Cafe… wait you were there?”

“Yeah I was on my way to meet Changbin and Jisung.”

Shit Chan must have gotten out of class early that day and I was blowing him off. Ugh then he texted me, I lied straight to his face, and he knew it was a lie. I moved to hold his hand and he didn’t pull away. I took that as a good sign and explained.

“That was my ex-boyfriend. I wanted to clear the air after everything with my parents. I didn’t want my past to come back and haunt me because I want an us for you and me.”

My voice dropped at the end. This was basically a confession and I’m far too sober to not get embarrassed by my forwardness at this point. His eyes scanned my face for deceit.

“I thought you were scared.”

“Emphasis on “was.” You are different than any other guy I’ve liked because no matter what, somehow I’ll find my way back to you. Like gravity keeps us grounded there is this force that always pulls me towards you. Who am I to defy gravity when neither of us want that?”

“And your parents?”

“I’ve been tired of hiding from them. I have a chance to be happy and I’m not going to let anyone stop me, that is… if you want to continue down this road with me?”

“Like I said, if being with you means danger it’s definitely worth the risk.”

As he said that his hand finally clasped mine, a faint smile gracing his face. His eyes softened and I knew what was next. There’s still one part of the story I have yet to indulge upon.

“So about last night…” He gingerly started.

“Since the school year started my parents were trying to set me up with their friend’s son, more so when I took two weeks leave for my dad’s campaign. They are a powerful family and would be a great asset to my father’s campaign but as every businessman is, nothing comes for free.”

“So they were using their kids as pawns?”

His grip tightened slightly and I offered him a weak smile. I know how wrong it sounds but in the upper circles this was normal and although my parents never hinted at doing something like this, it wasn’t something I put beneath them.

“We were introduced last night. He was conceited and sleazy but I had to put up with him for my parents. After a while I needed a break from his constant self-praise so I excused myself to the bathroom and when I came out he… he…”

My voice broke as the words struggled to leave my mouth. Having to recall the events of last night clearly brought back the terror. My thoughts were interrupted by Chan pulling me between his legs as his arms pulled me in, his chin resting on my shoulder. His overall presence eased my mind and I sat there, absorbing his warmth for a few moments before speaking again.

“... he forcefully groped and kissed me before I probably broke his toe with my heel and practically sprinted out of there.”

When the words passed my lips they felt as disgusting coming out as they did forming in my mouth. His hands turned to fists, knuckles white with how tight he was squeezing them. I held one of his fists in my hands and gently pried it open. Chan's arms tightened around me, his hands finding its way to play with my hands. I jerked slightly when he grabbed my wrist to flip my hand over. Before I could pull away from his grasp he took the sleeve and pulled up, exposing the bruises. His gaze turned to me as anger and dismay swirled in his eyes.

“... He did this?”

There was a dangerous tone to his voice that sounded so unfamiliar from the gentle teasing one I was used to. I wordlessly nod and gently remove his hand to hold again.

“Did he hurt you anywhere else?”

“Chan-”

“Jieun, did he hurt you anywhere else?”

“... just my upper arm on the left side when he grabbed me…”

He was quiet, almost as if he was contemplating something but I didn’t want him to dwell too long so I broke the silence after a few moments.

“I’m okay, let’s forget it,” I coaxed softly.

“Jieun this isn’t a small matter.”

“It isn’t but I have everything handled. My best friend’s family deals with security so he won’t get away. I can tell you want to do something about it but please don’t, for me? He’s not worth it.”

“Fine… I just wish I could have been there to prevent it…"

"Hey," I spoke softly as I brought my hand up to play with his hair, "you were there when I needed you and that's what matters. Thanks for that by the way, after everything you still came."

"I could tell something was wrong when I heard the voicemail. I couldn't leave my girl alone when she was in trouble."

He pulled away and finally gave me that dimple-showing smirk that makes my heart flutter. He was willing to fight for this and so was I because Bang Chan was one of a kind and I wasn’t going to lose him.

#stray kids #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #skz imagines #skz scenarios #bang chan #bang chan imagines #bang chan scenarios #rebel hours #my writing #skz

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lopithecusfanfiction · 4 years

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Blinded in Chains: Chapter Four

Author: Lopithecus Pairing: Evan “Buck” Buckley/Eddie Diaz Rating: Explicit Word Count: 5089 Alternate: AO3 Author’s Note: Enjoy! Tag List: @justsmilestuffhappens @tkandbuck @poppy3019 @mysepticheartfan1 @idealuk @irrationalyperfect @claire-nyc @javachik @ordinaryxgirl @silverrose6 @wifeofkyloren17 @haileymatthewss @daughter-of-infinity

Buck doesn’t sleep that night after he’s told they are going to wake up Eddie in two days’ time. Or, at least, he tries to sleep but fails. Instead, he is up most of the night staring at the monitor, watching the thin white line going up and down in the rhythm of Eddie’s heartbeat. They’ve slowly taken him off the ventilator a few hours ago to make sure that Eddie can breathe on his own and once they were satisfied that he can, they hooked him up to a nasal cannula.

Buck has a shift he has to go to in a couple of hours despite not sleeping. He debates with himself whether or not to call in sick. Not because he’s tired, he’s way too wired for that, but because he doesn’t know if he could stand being away from Eddie for long periods of time at such a crucial time. He needs to be here just in case something goes wrong. The nurses reassure him more than once that, at this stage, it’s very unlikely that anything will happen and that they will update him on his hourly calls.

It doesn’t calm Buck down any but it does somehow give him the strength to get up, drive home, take a shower and get dressed, and then drive to work. He gets there late but it’s okay because, by now, everyone knows where he’s coming from. Some of the other crew members ask him about Eddie and he gives them the good news before hightailing it to the locker room where Chimney and Hen are standing there, waiting to ambush him. He tries to sigh discretely at seeing them, having come to the locker rooms to not only change but to hide from all the prying eyes and questions.

“Hey,” Hen is the first one to greet him, her eyebrows furrowing. “You look tired, Buckaroo.”

“Did something happen?” Chimney asks next, leaning against the lockers.

Buck shakes his head as he makes his way over to his locker, unlocking it and starting to change. “They’re waking Eddie up tomorrow.”

The room plummets into silence as the other two take in that information. “I’ll be there,” Hen says after a minute, nodding pointedly.

“I have to work tomorrow,” Chimney sounds regrettable, frowning at the fact that he won’t be there to support his friend.

“I’m sure we can get someone to cover you.” Hen shrugs. “We’ll talk to Bobby.”

Buck finishes pulling on his uniform, feeling his anxiety rising incrementally. “I haven’t told Bobby yet.” They look at him. “I haven’t really told anyone yet.”

“Isabel? His parents? Christopher?” Chimney clarifies.

Buck shakes his head. “What if… what if I tell them and something happens?”

“Like what?” Hen inquires. “I thought Eddie was doing better?”

“I don’t know. He-he has been but…” Buck takes a deep breath. It’s suddenly way too hard to breathe. “It’s been… There have been so many close calls…”

Hen walks up to him and places a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. “Eddie will be fine. He’s getting better and if he wasn’t, they wouldn’t be waking him up. Nothing is going to happen to him, Buck.”

Buck nods slowly but Hen’s words don’t help him at all. “I’ve got to go tell Bobby.” He pushes past Hen and walks by Chimney without another word. He finds Bobby in his office. “Bobby, can I talk to you for a second?”

Bobby gestures towards the chair that is situated in front of his desk. “Of course.”

Buck enters the office, closes the door, and sits down in the offered chair. He clears his throat, willing his hands to stop shaking. “Eddie is going to be woken up tomorrow.” Bobby nods, a ghost of a smile pulling at the edges of his lips. “Chimney has to work but he was wondering if maybe someone could cover him so he can be there?”

“Yeah, I’ll see what I can do. I want to be there as well,” Bobby says. The older man then looks Buck up and down. “You doing okay?”

Buck shrugs. “I’m doing alright. Nervous, I guess.”

Bobby gives him a reassuring smile. “He’ll be fine, Buck.”

“Bobby, in this line of work, I’ve been taught to always expect the worst to happen. There’s still time-”

“No, Buck,” Bobby interrupts. “Eddie is waking up tomorrow. Let’s not drown our relief and excitement for that in the worry of worse case scenarios.”

Buck looks to the floor, nodding minutely. He doesn’t have the energy to argue with him. “He might still be blind,” he says quietly.

“We’ll just have to wait and see.” Bobby shifts and his chair creeks, causing Buck to look up. “Are they going to test it right away?” Buck shrugs. The doctor hadn’t told him anything about testing Eddie’s sight and before Buck can state that, the bell rings. Bobby stands, sighing heavily. Buck knows this whole thing hasn’t been easy for him either. “Duty calls, Buck.”

Again, Buck nods and follows Bobby out, jogging to the firetruck.

*~~~*

Buck does eventually tell Eddie’s family and Eddie’s parents get a flight out that afternoon, arriving that night. They convene at Isabel’s with Buck coming over to check on Christopher before going back to the hospital to spend the rest of the night with Eddie. The first thing Buck is greeted with when he steps into the house is a lecture.

“You look too tired and thin,” Isabel chastises. She immediately hands him a donut from the half a dozen she had picked up after Christopher had begged her for some.

He smiles at her sheepishly. “Thank you.”

“You need to start taking better care of yourself, Buck.” She starts walking away and Buck follows her throughout the house.

Before this whole thing happened, Buck and Isabel hadn’t really known each other all that well. She knew Buck and Eddie were close friends and that Buck looked after Christopher sometimes, that Buck loves that kid almost as much as, if not just as much as, Eddie but her and Buck never really spoke much. After the accident, however, they’ve gotten to know each other a lot better. They’ve had long conversations with one another as they both sat next to Eddie in the hospital. Isabel always came by to visit her grandson every day and Buck was almost always there, never leaving Eddie’s side unless absolutely necessary. So it wasn’t hard to see each other and interact with one another. Now, she treats him as if he were her friend too, or maybe, if Buck really thinks about it, like Eddie’s boyfriend. Buck doesn’t correct her line of thinking and she never asks him, which Buck is grateful for.

“Yes, ma’am,” he says which earns him a playful glare.

In the living room is Christopher with his grandparents. All three of them are on the floor, playing with a train set that Buck knows Eddie had bought Christopher for his birthday. Christopher hears him and Isabel enter the room and immediately jumps up. “Buck!”

“Hey, Buddy!” Buck crouches in order to give Christopher a hug. When he pulls back, he holds out the strawberry frosted donut to him. “Here.”

A wide grin spreads across Christopher’s face. “Thanks, Buck!”

Isabel swats him on the back of the head as Christopher turns around and heads back to the train set. “That was for you.”

“Sorry, Isabel,” Buck starts, standing. “I can’t resist that charming Diaz smile.”

“So I’ve gathered,” she comments, making Buck blush a deep red.

Helena and Ramon walk up to them, leaving Christopher to it. “Hello, Buck,” Helena greets, giving him a quick hug.

Buck gives the two his sweetest smile he can possibly manage. “It’s good to see you two again.”

“Wish it was under better circumstances,” Helena says.

Buck nods in agreement. “Me too.” He then looks past their shoulders to the nine-year-old playing on the floor. “Have you told him?”

Ramon nods. “Yes. He’s excited. It’ll probably be hard for him to sleep tonight.”

“He’s looking forward to finally talking to his dad,” Helena adds, a small smile in place.

“Wait, you’re going to let him be there when Eddie wakes up?” Buck asks, astounded.

Ramon and Helena’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Of course,” Ramon says. “He’s Eddie’s son and deserves to be there.”

“Plus,” Helena continues. “I’m sure Eddie would love to see him.”

“See him?” Buck has to swallow to keep himself from raising his voice incredulously. “But he can’t see him.”

“We don’t know that,” Isabel states but Buck is already angry at the nonchalance of the whole ordeal.

“No, but they aren’t taking the bandages off his eyes before they wake him,” he states, trying to stay calm and quiet so Christopher can’t hear him. “What if they decide to take them off just after he’s woken up and he still can’t see? The whole thing is going to be traumatic and overwhelming enough as is. You don’t think not being able to see his kid who is right there won’t just add to that? No,” Buck shakes his head, determined. “No, Eddie needs to process the situation before he learns he might never set eyes on his son ever again.” He shakes his head again. “Not to mention how upsetting it’ll be to Christopher to have to learn that way that his father can’t see him and never will.”

“So what are you suggesting?” Ramon asks him.

Buck shrugs. “Christopher goes to school like normal and if Eddie is willing and wanting to, then we let Christopher see him.”

“Are you suggesting Eddie won’t want to see his son?” Ramon accuses.

Buck refuses to be intimidated. They don’t seem to understand the extent of the situation. Buck has seen things like this many, many times in his life due to his work. He knows how traumatic this can be for both parties. “No, of course, Eddie’s going to want to see him but the point is, is that he can’t see. He’s going to have to have time to wrap his head around that and be allowed to feel… whatever it is he’s going to feel instead of worrying about making sure his kid isn’t scared.”

“I think Buck is right,” Isabel speaks up, stepping closer to him. “Eddie will want to protect Christopher from whatever is happening. He shouldn’t have to be made to put up a front in such an emotional situation.”

Helena and Ramon exchange glances with each other before Ramon talks. “Fine, but you will be the one to tell him.” He points to Buck, the unspoken words loud and clear. He wants Buck to be the bad guy, to be the one who breaks Christopher’s heart.

Buck frowns, trying to ignore the heavy weight that has settled itself on his chest. “Okay,” he says quietly, sounding small to even his own ears.

He waits until Christopher is in bed before he talks to him. Buck tucks him in, sits on the edge of the bed, reads a book to him because Christopher begged him to, and then takes in a deep breath to begin talking. "Hey, Chris, listen, I know you're excited about your dad waking up tomorrow but I think it's best if you go to school and come see your dad later if he’s up to it."

Buck has a hard time looking at Christopher's crestfallen face, his heart breaking for the nine-year-old. "Why? he asks.

Buck sighs, running a hand on his thigh nervously, and explains in the best way he knows how. "Your dad is going to be really tired and confused when he does wake up and the doctors are going to want to do a bunch of tests on him. I think it would be less stressful for your dad and for you if there were fewer people there." He runs a hand through Christopher’s curls. “Do you understand?”

“I… I think so,” Christopher looks up at him with those big blue eyes. “I trust you, Buck.”

Buck pulls Christopher into a tight hug, the boy wrapping his arms around Buck’s shoulders. “Thank you, Christopher.” Placing a quick kiss on top of Christopher’s head, Buck pulls back, running his hand through those curls one last time. “Get some sleep.”

He stays there until Christopher falls asleep, praying that Eddie will be able to see his son again.

*~~~*

By some miracle, they are all allowed to pack into Eddie’s room while they await the doctor’s arrival. Buck sits in his usual spot, holding onto Eddie’s left hand while his parents sit on the opposite side of the bed. Isabel, Bobby, Chimney, and Hen all stand around in various spots of the room. Eddie would probably hate all the attention he’s getting if he knew they all were there.

Buck’s nerves are on overdrive. He can’t believe this day has finally arrived. He’s going to be able to talk to Eddie for the first time in weeks and it makes him feel giddy but anxious at the same time. He subconsciously squeezes at Eddie’s hand, watching his face closely. He wonders when the doctor is finally going to be coming to tell them when and how this whole process is going to play out.

It takes another half hour before the doctor knocks on the door and enters. Everyone turns to him and his eyes widen with how many people are there. “Hello everyone,” he greets. Buck, Helena, and Ramon stand, buck rubbing his hands on his thighs nervously. “I guess I’ll get right to it then.”

The doctor explains to them what is going to happen. He tells them that he is going to slowly decrease the amount of the drug that is keeping Eddie in the coma in order to transfer Eddie into the waking room as gradually as possible. He warns them that Eddie is probably going to be very groggy and confused at first, along with being pretty weak due to not moving for a while. He then says the one thing that Buck probably presumes Eddie’s parents didn’t want to hear.

“I believe it would be a less stressful transition into consciousness if there was only one person here when it happened. The rest of you are free to wait in here for a few hours since it will take a while for Mr. Diaz to waken, but I suggest only waiting for about two hours. Then you are welcome to wait out in the waiting room until we can exam Mr. Diaz more and let you know if he can see more people,” the doctor explains.

Helena grabs onto her husband’s hand. “Can it be two people? It’s just, we’re his parents and we would like to be here for it.”

Before the doctor can even reply, Chimney is speaking up. “It should be Buck.”

All eyes turn to Chimney. “What?” Ramon asks.

The doctor holds up his hands. “I’ll let you all discuss who is going to stay for the process but if you do decide that it’ll be Mr. Diaz’s parents, then I see no problem in letting them both stay. A nurse will be in shortly to lower the dosage of Propofol that is being given to Mr. Diaz to keep him asleep.” He then leaves, giving them all an encouraging smile.

Ramon turns back to Chimney. “What do you mean it should be Buck?”

“Think about it,” Chimney begins. “Eddie is going to want to act strong and tough for his parents and anyone else for that matter. He deserves to react to this situation in whatever way he needs to instead of pretending to be fine and hiding his emotions.” He shrugs. “And to be quite honest, Buck is the only person I’ve ever seen Eddie be vulnerable in front of to allow himself that kind of freedom.”

“Well, that’s why we didn’t bring Christopher,” Helena states. “Because Buck thought the same thing, that Eddie would want to put up a front for him.”

“And Buck is right, Eddie would do that but he would also do that for the rest of us as well, except for Buck.” Chimney shoves his hands into his pockets. “He’s definitely not going to show what he is really feeling in front of his family and, despite being friends with Eddie, Bobby, Hen, and I aren’t as close to him as Buck is.” Buck’s cheeks flame red. “Eddie trusts Buck more than anyone in this room and feels the most comfortable with him. Buck is Eddie’s best friend and so he’s more likely to let himself show his emotions, which is something he’s going to need to do.”

The room grows quiet and Buck’s cheeks feel hot with embarrassment. Eventually, though, Ramon drags his eyes from Chimney to Buck and then to Eddie and back to Chimney. He gives a curt nod before saying into the silence of the room, “Okay.”

No one says anything about the subject after that, everyone silently agreeing with Chimney’s statement. A nurse does eventually come in and start reducing the dose of Propofol as the group makes meager chit chat but the air is now strained with emotions and anxiousness. After a couple of hours, they all start to shuffle out of the room, the first being Chimney and then Hen, followed by Bobby. Isabel leaves next, giving her grandson a quick kiss on the forehead. Helena and Ramon are the last to leave, Helena squeezing her son’s arm gently and kissing his cheek. Ramon places a hand on Eddie’s blanket-covered foot and says something so quietly, Buck can’t make out what it is. They both then leave after that, telling Buck they’ll be waiting out in the waiting room with the rest.

Another hour goes by and Eddie still hasn’t woken. The nurses reassure him that this is normal, that they are gradually reducing the medication so it could still be hours yet before Eddie wakes up. Every once in a while, Bobby or Isabel or Helena will pop their head in and check-in to see if Eddie has woken yet. Buck has to tell them that he’ll shoot them a text message when he does, that they don’t have to wait out in the waiting room if they don’t want to (they refuse to leave even at Buck’s persistence) and to stop coming in to check.

That’s why, when Buck hears a knock on the door, he’s immediately annoyed. He turns, expecting to see one of the three but is then surprised to see Beth standing there. The protective feeling Buck gets in his chest is overwhelming. He stands, stepping in front of the bed to block her view of Eddie.

“What are you doing here?”

Beth links her hands together, shifting her weight onto one foot. “I heard Eddie was being woken up. I wanted to see for myself.”

“I’m not going to let you belittle Eddie’s survival to him,” Buck informs her. “Besides, the doctor only wants one person here when he wakes up”

She nods, looking angry. “And, of course, it’s you.”

“What’s your problem?” Buck asks, feeling annoyed. “I’ve done nothing but try and support you.”

“Support me?” She takes a step closer to him. “Is that what you call telling me to let my husband die?”

“Because he’s already gone, Beth. Eddie living isn’t going to change that,” Buck tries to reason. “That body that you keep visiting… isn’t alive anymore. The machines are keeping it viable so it doesn’t rot away but there’s nothing there. Your husband is gone, Beth.”

“No!” she snaps at him. “How is it fair that he,” she points over to Eddie, “gets to live while the rest of the people that were in that same explosion get to die? Why? Why him? Why not more of them? Why not my husband? If Eddie can survive it, why can’t Isaac?”

“Beth,” there are tears streaming down her face now, eyes blazing with anger and jealousy and unadulterated grief. “I don’t know why and it isn’t fair.” He takes a step towards her. “But I do understand. I really do. Because at some point I had to accept the fact that Eddie might not survive this either. That I might have to say goodbye to someone I love.” It’s the first time Buck has admitted his feelings towards Eddie out load and it certainly isn’t how he had pictured doing it. It’s the only way he knows how to get through to Beth, though, so he tries to not think about it too much for now. “And accepting that, that I might lose him, it felt like I was dying too. But I did it anyway because I had to.” Beth says nothing, watching Buck, so he continues. “So no, it’s not fair, but you tell me , Beth, how is it fair that Eddie now has burn scars covering his body and that he might possibly be permanently blind? How is any of this fair to any of us?” He takes another step closer. “We were all screwed over by this accident that could have been easily avoided and the anger you are directing towards me should really be directed towards the people who caused it.”

“I’m not ready,” she cries.

“No one is ever ready, Beth.” Buck reaches her, thinks about pulling her into a hug, but then decides against it. “But saying goodbye to Isaac, letting go of him, and moving on is better than holding onto a hope that is never going to come.”

Beth reaches up, wipes at her face. “I don’t know what to do without him.”

“Grieve,” Buck tells her. “And then live, not only for Isaac but for Chloe too because she needs you now more than ever.”

“I’m sorry.” Buck opens his mouth to respond when he hears a soft groan coming from Eddie’s bed. He looks over, seeing the older man stirring. Beth continues, catching Buck’s attention again. “I hope it works out between you two.” There’s another groan, causing Buck to snap his head in Eddie’s direction and when he turns back to face Beth, she’s gone.

Taking a deep breath and trying to push his feelings about that whole exchange away, Buck rushes over to Eddie’s bedside. “Eddie?” He grabs a hold of Eddie’s left hand. “Eds? Hey, it’s okay, you’re in the hospital.”

Eddie shifts, moving his head groggily. “Buck?”

*~~~*

Eddie wakes slowly, or at least, he thinks he wakes up. He can’t actually open his eyes to see where he is and he feels the panic starting to settle in. His breathing speeds up and his heart starts to pound hard in his chest but then he hears a familiar voice, a voice that could always calm him down.

“Eddie?” He feels Buck grab his left hand, hears the creak of a chair as he sits. “Eds? Hey, it’s okay, you’re in the hospital.”

“Buck?”

“Yeah, it’s me. I’m right here, man.” Eddie can feel the pressure of Buck’s thumb rubbing against his knuckles but it’s weird. He doesn’t feel the flesh of it. There’s something wrapped around his hand.

And he can’t feel his right hand.

Panic surges through him again. “What?” His voice sounds thick and his words sound slurred. “What happened? Why… what’s on my eyes? Why can’t I…” he has to swallow, try and breathe. “Why can’t I feel my right hand?”

“Hey,” Buck’s soothing voice comes through Eddie’s heavy breathing. “Hey, Eddie, it’s okay, calm down.” He sounds concerned which really doesn’t help Eddie’s worried state but he does manage to take a few deep breaths to relax.

He’s exhausted.

“What’s going on?” Buck is quiet and if it weren’t for the other man holding his hand, Eddie might have thought he had left. “Buck?”

“Maybe the doctor should explain it to you.” The chair scrapes across the floor. “I should actually get a nurse.”

“No!” Eddie tries to tighten his grip on Buck’s hand but then realizes that he can barely move. He feels really weak, like a boulder is sitting on his limbs. “Please don’t leave.”

The slide of the chair against the floor tells Eddie that Buck has sat back down. He can hear Buck rub his hand against his jeans. “Eddie, I really think the doctor should explain things to you.”

Eddie tilts his head to the left, where he has been hearing Buck. “I want to hear it from you.” He’s having a hard time staying awake now, the crash of his panic-induced adrenaline rush exhausting him further. “Please.”

Buck takes a deep breath before he starts talking. His hand flexes in Eddie’s. “Do you remember what happened?”

Eddie tries to focus, groans a little when he tries to move his body but can’t find the strength, and recalls fragments of memories. He remembers the blinding light, hitting his head, the searing pain that had gone through his body. “Uh…” he starts tiredly. “Ex… explosion?”

“Maybe you should get some more sleep?”

Eddie shakes his head weakly. “No. I want… Explain.”

Another heavy sigh escapes from Buck’s mouth. It ghosts over Eddie’s face, making Eddie turn towards him more. “You’re right, there was an explosion. The factory had mixtures of chlorate and magnesium chloride in it. Do you remember?” Eddie nods his head slowly. “You and the rest of the crew members you brought with you, along with the employees, were in the room when the canisters blew up.”

“The employees?” Eddie asks. “Did they…”

Buck is silent for a few seconds before he says, “They didn’t make it, Eddie.”

Eddie feels his heart plummet. “And the crew?” His voice cracks and he hates it.

Buck doesn’t answer right away, he stays quiet for a very long time but Eddie still hears him swallow thickly in the dead silence. Then, when he speaks quietly, Buck’s voice sounds broken. “They all died, too.” Eddie lets out a ragged breath, feels how his whole body shudders with emotions. He sniffles. “Um… Hammond is on life support right now but…” A breath. “He’s gone, Eddie. Beth just needs to, uh, make the decision to… take him off.”

Eddie’s crying and for the first time since he’s woken up, he’s glad there is something over his eyes so Buck can’t see the tears that are soaking it. He takes in a shaky breath and when he goes to let it out, it catches in his throat and a sob escapes instead. Buck’s hand tightens around his, another hand lands on his bicep. “I’m sorry, Eddie,” Buck says gently but his voice sounds thick, as if he’s crying too. “I’m so sorry, Eddie.”

“I… I was supposed to keep them alive,” he cries and wishes he didn’t feel so weak so he can bring a hand up to cover his face. “It was my responsibility.”

“No,” Buck sniffles, hand leaving Eddie’s bicep and then coming back down wet, as if Buck had wiped at his face. “No, Eddie, this isn’t your fault. It’s the factory owners. He’s the one who didn’t disclose what they had in there. That’s not on you.”

“Wasn’t fast enough.”

“No one could have been, Eddie,” Buck reassures. “We shouldn’t have even been in there in the first place.” He pauses and Eddie takes in a trembling breath, calming. “Bobby has been a mess over it. He feels responsible as well but as I said, Eddie, the only one to blame is the factory owner. He put everyone at risk.”

Buck’s words really don’t help Eddie feel any less guilty but he does manage to stop crying. He’s the one who brought his coworkers and those employees into that room. He’s the one who didn’t move quickly enough to get them all out. He’s the one who led them straight to their deaths.

He had told them they would be okay.

He’s the one who lied.

“How did I survive?” he asks, voice now sounding even more ruined by his crying.

“I don’t know. Some miracle, I guess.”

Eddie shakes his head. “Not religious.”

There’s movement and suddenly Eddie wishes he could see what Buck is doing. “Neither am I.”

“My right hand… is it…”

“It’s still there,” Buck tells him. “Eddie, you got really badly burned. Some second-degree burns… some third. Your right hand was pretty bad. It is one of the spots that got the third-degree burns but also nerve damage.”

Eddie knows what that means. He’s seen it plenty of times out on the field during Afganistan and as a firefighter. “So I’m never going to be able to feel with that hand again,” he states.

He hears more shifting from Buck’s side, can practically feel Buck’s nervous energy. “That’s not the worse thing that happened Eddie.”

Eddie feels a chill run through his body. He knows what Buck is going to say next. It doesn’t take a genius to guess. “My eyes?”

Buck sighs heavily and the chair creaks. “Eddie, just keep in mind they don’t know the extent of the damage yet but…” Buck stops, as if he can’t bring himself to say it.

Eddie already knows. He’s seen this in Afganistan as well. The aftermath of an explosion can be brutal, including to the eyes or to the optical nerve. If it’s not the shrapnel that damages the eyes themselves, then it’s the shockwave that damages the optical nerve. Eddie shifts, tries to sink into the bed more. The movement makes him tired. “Is it partial or complete?”

“They don’t know yet.”

“Is it permanent?”

Buck’s hand rubs against his bicep briefly. “They don’t know that either” Eddie nods, feeling a suffocating heaviness engulfing his chest. “Do you want to talk about it?” Buck asks, as if he had been expecting a different reaction from him.

Eddie shakes his head. He doesn’t want to talk at all right now. He doesn’t even want to accept that this is happening. “I’m tired.”

He hears Buck stand and he lets go of Eddie’s hand with one last squeeze. “Why don’t you get some more sleep and I’ll go get a nurse.”

Footsteps sound across the floor. “Wait.” They stop. “Christopher? Where is he?”

“At school.”

Eddie nods in satisfaction, finally letting his entire body relax. “Good.”

The footsteps don’t start back up for a few seconds and then Buck’s voice calls out softly. “Get some sleep, Eddie.”

It doesn’t take him long to do just that.

———————————————————————————————————–

A/N: Don’t worry, Eddie isn’t going to always have this nonchalant attitude about his situation. He’s just tired, probably a little bit in denial, and it hasn’t really sunk in yet.

Thank you all for reading!! ❤❤

#Buddie #Evan Buckley #Eddie Diaz #911 #911 on Fox #Buck #Blinded in Chains #My Fanfiction

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gold-and-rubies · 3 years

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In It For The Long Haul - Chapter 1

Okay, here’s chapter one. It’s under the cut. It’s in the (third person) perspective of my sole survivor, Claudia. Warnings include strong language, graphic violence, and puking/dry heaving. If anyone needs me to add another warning tag, or has advice on it, please let me know. Also this is the first fic I’ve ever committed to. I wrote this back in March, so if the quality is different than what you’re used to, that’s why.

In less than twenty-four hours Claudia Flynn had experienced more death than most would in their entire lives. The world she had known had been destroyed by atomic fire. She had lost her friends and family at the flip of a switch, or perhaps the press of a button. Then those who had made it into the vault with her had lost their lives to a malfunction, except for one family, a couple and their infant son. The child had been kidnapped and the father was fatally shot in the process. The mother did not fare much better. She had died within her first few hours in the wasteland. The poor woman did not even get a chance to save her baby. Claudia had promised her that she would find her baby, not just for Nora’s sake, but also for her own. She needed a reason to push on after losing so much.

Her new acquaintances had given her another reason to press on. The people who Nora died trying to help needed more than to be saved. They had needed a home, and Claudia was not going to leave them hanging. Claudia led them to Sanctuary, and helped them get settled there. With help from the handyman Sturges and Nora’s old Mister Handy bot, Codsworth, she started to make the place livable again. After a week though, being in her old home started getting to her. It was a stark reminder of everything she had lost. A truth she was not ready to face. Noticing how antsy she was getting, Preston Garvey asked her if she was up for doing Minuteman duties instead. Claudia had accepted the offer appreciatively. Preston had sent her to help a farm that had asked help from the Minutemen. Claudia felt a little guilty for not diving head first into the kidnapping, but she also felt like if she went in unprepared she was good as dead. So, instead she was going to take out another raider gang.

Worry prickled at her. Sure she had surprisingly good aim and knew basic self defence, but she had been anything but a fighter before the war. She had not been part of the military or even law enforcement, much less a gang or the mafia. Her father had done a great job at teaching her how to hunt and shoot at the practice range, sure. People, though, people were different.

Dogmeat bounded ahead of her on the cracked pavement. She had found him at the Red Rocket truck stop between Sanctuary and Concord. He was a remarkably healthy German Shepherd given he was living in a radioactive wasteland. Claudia was incredibly thankful for him. He offered comfort without questions, which she needed right now. The settlers had been respectful in their questions, but she was still in shock. She had not and did not want to come to terms with what had happened. What she had lost.

Instead she focused on the task at hand. That is how she always coped with things. She would throw herself into whatever work she had. Schoolwork, her job, her music. The only difference for this is it involved violence.

Soon enough she arrived at the farm she was sent to help.

“Hello?” She called.

A woman with a shotgun walked out of the tiny wooden shack, pointing it at Claudia. “What do you want? We don’t need anymore trouble,” she demanded from the crooked steps.

“Relax,” Claudia said as she raised her hands to seem less threatening, “I was sent by the Minutemen. You asked for help?”

“Really? We didn’t really think you people still existed, especially after Quincy,” she said.

“We’re rebuilding the Minutemen,” she replied.

“Hey, you won’t hear any complaints from us. Things have gotten worse since the Minutemen fell to pieces,” she said.

“So, what do you need help with?” she asked as she lowered her arms back down.

“There’s a raider gang that won’t leave us alone, and we’re just farmers so we can’t stand up to guys like that,” she explained, “but we do know where they are. They’re stationed in the old Corvega Assembly Plant.” She pointed to the factory in the distance.

“Alright, I’ll go take care of them for you,” she said.

Just as she started making her way down the hill, the woman called to her. “Before you go take some advice. Try to stay clear out of Lexington. The place is filled with ghouls.” That was the second time someone had mentioned ghouls, and she didn’t know what they were. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

It was noon by the time she got to the old factory. Her back was glued to the western wall as she came up with a plan. Around the corner there were about three raiders, one of which was carrying what seemed to be a pool cue. That would be no issue given it was a surprise attack. The issue, however, was the turret. There was no way she could get to it to disable it without becoming Swiss Cheese, even if she could in the first place. She pulled a grenade from her pack, and wondered if she could throw it far enough.

Better than nothing, she thought to herself, With any luck I’ll get those bastards up top too.

For once in her life she did have luck. It left the turret nothing more than a smoking pile of shrapnel. Various body parts of the raiders were strewn about. Her stomach churned slightly. She had never been the type to get queasy with blood and injuries, but this was something else entirely, and more importantly she had caused it. She tried to push those thoughts aside as she shot the third. There was no more law enforcement. No more prison. The only way to get them to stop was killing them, and no one else was going to do it. Although she was unsure if she would ever be able to truly come to terms with this, she pushed on regardless.

Once inside she followed Dogmeat through the maze of rooms. At first she had been worried as to how she would even get out alive. Then they demonstrated their lack of intelligence, and that they made up for it with an abundance of cockiness. How they had survived so long, she did not know.

The duo did not have much trouble until they had to face off against the gang's leader. He was in a room with conveyor belts and nearly finished Corvegas, which offered better cover than wall corners. At least four other raiders paced the large room. More turrets sat atop a room connected to a cat walk. Spilled gasoline, oxygen tanks, and various other combustibles littered the place, and since she wanted to get out alive grenades were out of the question.

She did not have enough time to come up with a plan, as she was almost immediately spotted. A woman with a knife charged her. She shot her twice in the chest before she got too close for comfort. Dogmeat expertly pounced on another raider, tearing him to shreds. Claudia took down another, rather stupid one, who tried to out distance her pistol with a shotgun. She ducked behind a pillar when there were only two left. Dogmeat followed her actions and found cover for himself. She vaguely wondered how he had learned to fight.

“YOU’RE FUCKIN’ DEAD MEAT BITCH!” One of them roared.

Claudia peeked from behind her cover, and shot him in the head. She winced at the sight.

“YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!” the last one raged.

She took a breath, steeling her nerves. With a surprising amount of speed she took down the remaining raider. She released the breath with a sigh.

As she lowered her gun she debated with herself as to whether to loot the bodies or not. She shuddered at the thought. She had taken the raiders down, because ultimately it was the right thing. Taking their belongings was pushing the boundaries for her. Eventually she buried those feelings to be dealt with later, along with everything else from the past week.

They really do use bottle caps for money, she thought as she searched the bodies. Even though she did not take Preston for the type to do so, she had thought the caps he gave her had been a joke.

She added that to the ever growing list of things to adapt to. She was thankful she was a quick learner.

By the time she got back to Tenpines Bluff it was mid afternoon. The walk back had been uneventful allowing for her adrenaline to die back down. Her body ached and stung, but the looks on the farmers’ faces were worth it.

“You’re… you’re back… and alive.” the woman from before said, “How did it go?” There was hopefulness in her voice.

“I took care of them. All of them. They won’t be bothering you anymore,” she said with a soft smile.

Pure joy erupted on their faces.

“Thank you so much! You have no idea what you’ve done for us!” the man said. He looked like he was close to tears.

“You’re welcome,” she said.

“I know it isn’t much, but… we want you to have this,” the woman said, handing Claudia a small leather pouch full of caps.

“That isn’t necessary.”

“We insist! And we were talking, and we agreed that if you pulled through for us, we’d support the Minutemen. Things’ll only get better if we’re together.” Claudia smiled, “Thank you. If you ever need help, you can depend on us.”

***

Claudia returned to Sanctuary just before sunset. She shivered as a cold wind blew past her. She checked the temperature on her Pip-Boy. It read 56 degrees Fahrenheit. Another shiver ripped through her. Having only moved to Boston over the summer before the bombs, she was unaccustomed to it being this cold this early in the year. Fall in the Central Valley had been kinder to her. Although she did prefer the New England summer.

Dogmeat left her side to go say hello to the new residents, as she set down her pack in her reclaimed house. Although talking to Preston about her success was important, properly taking care of her injuries was more so.

She stripped off her mismatched armor, jacket, and jeans. Her left bicep and right upper thigh had both been grazed by bullets. Thankfully both injuries were not particularly serious. Both had done just enough damage to draw blood, but she was worried about infection. Rifling through her mediocre med-kit she dressed her wounds to the best of her ability. She chided herself for not asking for help with her arm as it was difficult to do one handed. When she was done she put on a different jacket and pair of jeans. Both were just as dirty as the ones from before, but they had less holes in them.

Preston was standing in front of the bridge staring at the darkening sky when she found him. He turned when he heard her approaching.

“So, how’d it go?” he asked.

“Took care of the raiders in Corvega, and the people at Tenpines Bluff have decided to support us.”

His face lit up. “That’s great news.”

“Figured you’d be happy about that.”

“Oh, before I forget. I wanted to give you this. It’s a flare gun,” he explained as he handed it to her.

“Thanks, Preston. In a place like this? I’m sure it’ll be put to good use.”

“I know it’s not much right now, but once we have more allied settlements you’ll have help whenever you need it.”

An awkward silence fell between them. Preston shifted, turning his gaze back to the sky before asking, “I haven’t told how I became the last Minuteman, have I?”

“Didn’t want to push you,” she replied, pushing her hands into her jacket pockets.

“Have you heard about the Quincy Massacre?” he hesitantly asked.

“No. The people at Tenpines mentioned something about Quincy, but I didn’t know what they were talking about. Why, what happened?”

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke, a pained look coming across his face.

“A mercenary group called the Gunners attacked Quincy, and the people there asked for help. My group was the only one that showed.” she could hear him struggling to keep his voice steady, “We were able to hold them off initially, but it wasn’t enough. We asked for reinforcements, but we never even heard from anyone. The Gunners took Quincy, and killed Colonel Hollis, so I was in charge of the survivors. We didn’t find a safe place to settle. Until now.”

Claudia soaked in the words before she said anything. When she spoke her words were careful, “I think the Minutemen can make a comeback. They can be the good guys again. As long as you don’t give up.”

“I’m not about to give up,” he said, finally turning to look at her, “that’s why I’m talking to you. I… I can’t rebuild the Minutemen, but… I think you can.” His words caught her off guard. She was more than willing to join the cause, but leading them was a completely different story.

“I don’t know if I’m the right person for that, Preston,” she said hesitantly, why can’t you?”

“I can get my men through a fight, hold a location against all odds, but I can’t lead like that. Besides you helped us in Concord, and have continued to help us even though there was nothing in it for you. You helped the people at Tenpines even though you have your own problems to deal with. Selflessness like that has been in short supply around here, and that’s what we need.” She took a deep breath and looked across the river. She mulled over the offer in her head. She wanted to do it, she did, but she was worried about how young she was. Before the bombs no one would have ever even thought to give someone her age this kind of offer.

“But I have no experience with this,” she tried to argue.

“No leader does their first time,”

“I’m only twenty-two. Don’t you think that’s too young to do this?”

Preston apparently did not care. He insisted, “I’ll help you along the way. I know I’m asking a lot, but the Minutemen need someone like you.”

She did not answer for a moment. His words shooed away her apprehension. He was giving her the chance to do something truly good, and she did not want to turn it down. As long as she had help…

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

A look of disbelief crossed his face, “Really?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, her voice full of determination.

He smiled, “I’ll be right behind you the whole way… General.”

“General?”

“The leader of the Minutemen has always held the rank of General. Our last leader was General Becker. He died back in ‘82. The one good thing about being the last Minuteman is no one is going to argue with me putting you in charge.”

“So, what rank does that make you?”

“Well… the second highest rank is major, but I guess now it depends on what you say?”

“Major it is then.”

He smiled. This was probably the most Claudia had seen him smile in the week she had known him.

“So, what now General Flynn?”

“Well Major Garvey, I say we rest tonight, and decide our next action in the morning.”

“Good plan ma’am.”

Coupled with the physical exhaustion from the events of the day, and the goodness she did. That night she got the best sleep she had since waking up in the wasteland.

***

Almost feel bad for these little guys. Almost, she thought, nudging a dead mole rat with her toe.

There was not a cloud in the sky, as the sun shone brightly. A brisk breeze threw around debris and dead plant matter. The air was cool against her face. It was the perfect weather for outdoors work. She had cleared the drive-in theatre just outside of Concord in order to create a new settlement. Preston had taken on the duty of helping a farm down south with some raiders. Even though she was in charge of him, he had insisted she do an easier task today if she insisted on doing Minutemen duties. Especially after he saw how drained she was from Corvega.

It ended up taking Claudia and Sturges longer to haul all of the stuff they needed down to the drive-in than it did to clear it in the first place. After a few hours of working on the radio they decided to take a break. They sipped on purified water, courtesy of Codsworth, in the shade of the shack against the hill. Claudia took this as an opportunity to sate her curiosity.

“Hey, Sturges, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” he said.

“What’s a ghoul? I keep hearing people talk about them, but I have no idea what they are,” she admitted.

“Well,” he explained, “they’re just irradiated people. But there are different kinds. Some ghouls are like you an’ me. The only difference is they look different and live longer, assumin’ they don’t get hurt. Then there are ferals. Those are the ones you keep hearin’ about. The radiation rotted their brains, makin’ them go insane.”

“So these “ferals,” are basically zombies?” she asked.

“Basically.”

“If the others are like us, then why are they called the same thing? They sound pretty different to me.”

“‘Cause people don’t like ‘em. People don’t seem to understand the difference. No matter how drastic. I don’t understand it honestly.”

“Glad to know humanity hasn’t changed,” she said sarcastically.

“And it goes farther than just names. The only large settlement I know of that allows ‘em to live there is Goodneighbor. Which is a damn shame. ‘Specially since livin’ in there is only half a set better than gettin’ gnawed on by radroaches.”

Sadly, she understood why they were not allowed to live in nice places. It was prejudice. Even though she hated it, humanity had always been prejudiced. After all that’s what led to the internment camps.

“What’s so bad about Goodneighbor?”

“Ain’t nothin’ there but chems and mercenaries. People there will most likely wind up dead to one or the other if they stay too long.”

She wrinkled her nose, “Lovely.”

“Still beats gettin’ torn to shreds by raiders. If only a little bit.”

“So, only go to this place in the case of an absolute emergency?”

“Pretty much,” he shrugged.

She hoped that it would not come to that if he was not exaggerating.

***

Preston returned just before the residents of Sanctuary started to head to bed the next day. He looked a little worse for wear, but pleased. All that really mattered was that he was alive, and not seriously injured of course.

“General,” he said in greeting.

“Hey, Preston. You know you don’t have to call me that, right?” Claudia asked.

He merely shrugged in response, “I have news for you.”

“I hope it’s good news.”

“It is.” he smiled, “The people at Oberland Station have decided to join us. This means we’re large enough to start having communication problems, but that’s a good thing.”

“How is that a good thing?” she asked, frowning. In her experience poor communication just led to disaster.

“It gives us a damn good reason to take back The Castle, the old Minutemen HQ. It’s well fortified, centrally located, and best of all, it has a strong radio tower that can broadcast all over the Commonwealth,” he explained.

“Oh. Yeah that sounds like a good thing.”

“So are we gonna do it?”

“Do you think we can get enough people to attack it?”

“I have to talk to some people, but yeah. Especially since it wasn’t raiders or gunners that took it.”

“Who took it then?�� she asked.

“I’m not sure how true it is, but apparently a sea monster attacked. My guess is mirelurks.”

“What’s a mirelurk?” she asked. She felt a little embarrassed having to constantly ask what everything. She felt like a little kid. She was thankful that she had wound up with such an understanding group.

“I think you would have called them… crabs?”

She burst out laughing, “They lost a ‘well fortified’ place to a bunch of crabs?”

“It was before my time, so I have no idea… so are we going to do this?”

“Yeah, let’s do this, but we should wait until tomorrow morning. You need to rest, and I want to have as much energy as possible for this. That’s an order,” she joked.

“You won’t regret this ma’am!” he said turning towards the house he had claimed.

***

The next morning Preston was nowhere to be found. When she could not find him she sought out Sturges.

“Have you seen Preston anywhere?”she asked.

“He left about an hour ago. Said you guys were gonna take back The Castle. Why?” Her jaw dropped. He had already left. She felt stupid for not telling him to wait for her. She could not blame him for leaving as soon as possible. She had seen the excitement hidden beneath his professionalism.

Now she was going to have to deal with the repercussions for her lack of communication.

“I have no idea where I’m going.” she sighed, “Preston never pointed it out on any map.”

“I have kind of an idea of where it is, if that’s any help,” he offered.

After he showed her the area where it was located he said, “Unless you want to stop by Diamond City on the way, I suggest you stay out of the main city. Can be real dangerous at times.”

“Thanks, Sturges.”

Before she started heading out she filled her pack to the brim with extra clothes, water, food, medical supplies, caps, and everything else she thought she would need. The trip to The Castle was going to be a long one, and she did not want to take any chances. She strapped her shotgun she had gotten thanks to the raiders to her back, and placed a combat knife in a makeshift sheath at her hip. Pistol in hand she started to make her way out of Sanctuary.

She thought about bringing Dogmeat with her for a moment, but ultimately decided against it. She did not want to wear him out, and without her and Preston there someone needed to guard the place. The day was cooler than the ones before it, almost too cold. Clouds were on the horizon, signaling a storm. Claudia wondered if the rain would be radioactive like the rivers were.

As she headed southwest towards the Charles river she saw various wild animals in the distance from a pack of wild mongrels to a two-headed deer. They never got too close for comfort though, making for an uneventful journey. Until she got to Cambridge.

When Sturges had told her to stay out of the city she thought he had meant Boston itself. She was wrong. After a few minutes of making her way between crumbling buildings she was greeted by an irate group of raiders. Luckily for Claudia they were too high to actually do anything, so she was able to take them out with ease. That should have, however, been taken as a sign of things to come.

The mid afternoon sun added only a small amount of warmth as she made her way towards the river. When she got close enough to see the river she heard gruff, manly voices that did not sound quite human. They sounded like a stereotypical voice of an ogre or something similar. She did not realize how close that comparison was until she saw the source of the voices.

They came from her left, down the street that intersected the one she was walking along. They walked like men and had similar muscle structure, but they very obviously were not. The biggest indicator was their green skin, and their sheer size did not help matters.

She froze, unsure what to do. She had no idea what they were, and if they were dangerous, and if they were, how dangerous. She was starting to think she should just ask for a list of things that could kill her other than disease or radiation.

She decided it was probably for the best to just sneak past them and conserve ammo. After all she was meeting Preston to take down some mutated crabs. Luck was not in her favor this time, however, because they heard her next step crunch loudly against the broken pavement.

“A HUMAN!” one roared.

“LET’S KILL IT!” shouted another.

She took off down the street like a rocket. They did not seem to mind chasing down their prey. She forgot Sturges’s warning and dashed across the bridge that spanned the river. She ducked into the city hoping to lose them. They were fast and seemed to be incredibly strong, but she hoped they were not agile or clever.

After what felt like an eternity of chasing her through the maze of buildings, she was able to lose them by hiding in a hole in a wall. She took shallow breaths trying to remain as quiet as possible as they passed. She prayed that they did not find her in her hiding spot. She had a feeling she was as good as dead if they did.

Once she was sure they were gone a broken sob escaped her. The reality of her situation slammed into her like a truck. The world she had known was gone. Her family and friends were gone. The people who would hold her, and tell her that everything would be alright were gone. The world she had known had died, and this terrible world plagued by radiation, raiders, mutated creatures, and who knows what else had taken its place. As her cries escalated it got to the point where she fell out of the hole and threw up. The horror of this new world got to her.

After a while she straightened up and wiped her face clean. She had lost much, yes, but she would be damned if she gave up so soon. She took a few deep breaths, and then started to make her way through the city.

She cursed herself for running into there with such reckless abandon. She had not spent much time exploring Boston before the bombs, and the destruction did not help matters. The map and compass only served to confuse her.

Just as she was about to give up, and try and find another hole to bunker down in for the night, she saw an odd, blue glow reflecting off the old metal of a building that seemed to have been inhabited recently. As she turned towards the source, she realized it was the familiar coldness of neon. Then she spotted the sign. “Goodneighbor” it read.

I think this counts as an emergency, she thought as she walked through the door of the makeshift wall.

She quickly opened the door, and stepped inside. Resting against the door with her back to it she took in the tiny town. She had been to Scollay Square once before the war, and toured The Old State House. She marveled at the condition of the old building for a moment. She was brought back down into the harsh reality when a dirty, roughed up man approached her.

“Hey! You new to Goodneighbor? Can’t go walking around without insurance,” he said as he took a drag off of his cigarette.

“Insurance?” she asked. Her voice came out smaller than she intended. In another life she would have kicked herself, but at this point she was far too overwhelmed to care.

“Yeah, insurance. The kind where you give me everything in your pockets, and there won’t be any ‘accidents.’ Big, bloody ‘accidents’,” he sneered.

Before she react a man with the graveliest voice she had ever heard interjected. He strode up to the man accosting her, and said, “Woah, woah, woah. Time out. Someone steps through the gate the first time, they’re a guest. You lay off that extortion crap.”

“What’d you care? She ain’t one of us.”

“No love for your mayor, Finn? I said let her go,” the mayor said. From where she was standing, she could see there was something wrong with his eyes and skin and… did he not have a nose?

“You’re soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there’ll be a new mayor.”

“Come on, man. This is me we’re talking about. Let me tell you something,” Hancock said, taking a step closer to the man. He placed a hand on the man’s shoulder in a friendly way, and then, to Claudia’s horror, proceeded to stab him in the gut. She watched in shock as he stared down at the now dead body.

“Now why’d you have to go, and say that, huh? Breaking my heart over here. You alright sister?” he asked as he turned to her. He took a step closer to her.

She felt her mouth gape open as she looked at him. His skin was burned, and falling off in patches. She was right when she thought he did not have a nose. He had just two holes where it should have been. Both the irises and the scleras of his eyes were black. It took her brain a moment to process what she was seeing. He must be a ghoul. She shut her mouth when she realized her expression must have looked rude, but it was hard not to stare. It looked so painful to be like that.

She blinked dumbly a few times before answering, “You… you killed him.”

“Got a good pair of eyes on ya. I think you’ll fit in here,” he drawled, “but don’t let this incident taint your view of our community. Goodneighbor’s of the people the people, for the people. Everyone’s welcome. You feel me?”

She was having a hard time paying attention. It was too much to take in at once. She let out a shaky breath, “I, uh, yeah. Yeah.”

“Good. Just remember who’s in charge, and don’t be afraid to stop by for whatever you need,” he said, before he started to walk away.

Her brain hung that last part. What she needed was someone who could help her get to the Castle. A body guide or…

“Wait,” she called. He turned to face her. The skin above his eyebrow was molded in a way that must have been his way of raising an eyebrow.

She took a deep breath, “Do you know of any guns for hire?”

He smiled at her, “I know just the guy.”

#fallout #fallout 4 #fo4 #fanfiction #fanfic #sole survivor #claudia flynn #violence warning #language warning #preston garvey #fallout sturges #maccready x sole survivor #my first fanfic #puking warning

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